PREPARING AN ORCHARD.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1468, 17 June 1912, Page 8

PREPARING AN ORCHARD.

A CRITIC CRITICISED.

■ - Somo time ago an article- by Mr. M. Fosella, of Levin, on the question, "Will Fruitgrowing Pay?" giving certain figures and estimates, was published in this column, and in duo course was attacked by Jlr. S. Hull, of Nelson. Mr. Hull's criticism was reprinted in the , "Horowhenua Chronicle," in which the , original article also appeared. Vv'ritinjf to the above paper oa Friday last, Mr. I'osella says , .—

■" "If in the .Nelson district clay soil is valued at £12 to .£lB an acre, let mo tell Mr. Hull that in the Jlorowhenua district good rich pastoral land near a railway station, with good road frontage, is considered cheap at .£SO an acre. _ The sum of .£2OO for clearing, stumping, and double-fencing to - protect shelter trees is reasonable enough. The cost of shelter trees and planting is considered very low at .£SO.

"I will now enlighten Mr. Hull on the cost of the trees, so that he may benefit from the lesson. Good strong two-year-old Northern Spy stocks will cost <£1 10s. per 100. Budding on Jlr. Newport's system, that is, budded three buds and 18 inches above the ground, which rendw the trees almost if. not absolutely free from woolly aphis, will, with incidental labour and caro until thoy are two years old, and then fit for planting out in orchard rows, surely produce trees that are cheap at one shilling each. Especially will this be so when one can bo sure that the trees are true to name. This sort will be in marked contrast with the stuff Mr. Hull buys at £3 10s. per 100. Those sort would be dear at a gift. In time he will find his mistake by the result of his puny five hundred trees. If he reads again my scheme he will find that it is clearly explained that during the two years required for raising the shelter and the fruit trees, on a small well-protected portion of the land, the main portion of it can then bo utilised as a dairy farm. The .£250 spent in sheds and outbuildings would (after the orchard-was-planted) Ihj utilised as stores, packing rooms, etc. As the- horse, cart, and harness is to be utilised after the orchard is planted and the dairying busines done away with, it is not advisable to buy a dogcart and a donkey! ■ "In planting 300 trees per acre on the diagonal sj - stem,. it leaves 12ft. space between the rows; and the trees pruned to produce "fruit from spurs'and not-from ends' of long' rope-like branches.. .'J'he diagonal system will give better , .:.return and leave ample room for doing such work asaieed be done between them. To finish with, in spite of all the fault Mr. Hull finds iiuny scheme, I notice that he comes to the conclusion that .£IOO per acre can be realised from a well-managed orchard.'