A MOUTERE ORCHARD.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 16

A MOUTERE ORCHARD.

WHAT IT COSTS. AND THE POSSIBLE EETTJEN. An orchard in the making takes much money, and in order to give somo idea of the cost, a DoJtiN'iotf representative asked for information from Jtfr. E. Tl. Volimor, a Tosinahian expert, who ] lns just planted Mr Horton's Moutero-orchard, and Mr. 1. E. Nottago, late Government Fruit Instructor So far as tho Moutero was concerned.tho following appended table is the result of their deliberations.!— ■■■■•<' Per acre. First year— •* s ' Clearing and ploughing 2 10 Harrowing once, discing twice... 0 10 Trees, 100 to aero - G 0 Second year— , .Planting and pegging ............... 0 1j Cultivation, thrco years at .£G... 18 0 £27 15 This is an approximate cs+imate. There was somo difference of opinion rcardin" tho time which would be taken implanting. One hundred nnd fifty trees per day, it appeal's, is fairly good work, but Mr. Hortoii, of Hawko's Bay, appears to bo a record-breaker at this work, Ins average beinr something over seven hundred and fiftv trees per day. It is usual lo get -a first return from an orchard on the fourth year, and a good yield on Ihe fifth year. On the other hand, tho return is large, and on an export trade the povsibilitics from a monetary point of view are excellent. For local sales, .£2O per aero net is considered to bo a low return for apples, but on an export trade prices-are verv great, while they- naturallv 'help to k'eep up local rales. At a lieiinv a pound, and averaging the return'nt from four to. five inns to the acre, the viold rouses from ,KiG to ,CII gross,, but in London apples are bringing from 12s. to 15s. per case, and in Germany from Ms. fid. lo J!l fe. per ca.se. These prices, in /ome instances, are over 100 per cent, nliov'u Ihe prices generally obtained in y<:\v Zealand, but this season apples have brought IS:-, per case in Wellington. There is no reason why New Kenlnml fruit should not bo sold on tho London market to tho same advantage as Now Zealand butter and cUecao, and 'frozon mutton,'