OUR ORCHARDS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2673, 20 January 1916, Page 8

OUR ORCHARDS

THE WOEJkOFTHE NURSERYMEN 1 "ADDRESS BY MINISTER OF ACRI CULTURE.

Tie Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. W. D. S. Mao Donald, addressed the-de-legates to the conference of the. Nursery--i men's Association yesterday. ■ He paid a tribute to the splendid work performed by the nurserymen of New Zealand. They .could take the fruit industry as an instance of rapid and substantial progress. There could be no question that . tho industry would never. havo ■reached its '.present stage, but for the ingenuity aid scientific methods of research. of the nurserymen of New Zealand.; The work of the nurserymen was constant and arduous, and it was tho dntjvof the Government - fa * give fair and reasonable consideration to any rcpreseaitations made for the encouragement of the industry. With regard to ■ theorchard industry, certain legislation had been prSmised by the Prime Minister, who had been his predecessor in the office' of Minister of Agriculture. .So far as the orchard tax was concerned, bo believed tho understanding between the Prime Minister and the orchardists .was that. if a brought forward .a petition asking for this legislation he •would lie.prepared to go on with it. There were to be. other provisions affecting nureotymen embodied in the Bill, tho drafting' of which!) ecame :.in conse-; quence a task of somo magnitude/ The Government,' had- no intention of. deferring this legislation, ' delays. having been caused by stress of work and the ■want of further "information from those ■immediately interested in these' particular industries. ;'Anot3ier matter exer- , cising; the minds of those engaged' in tho nurserymen's industry , was State; jompetiiion, but so far as ■ tho Agricultural Department was concerned, arrangements, ;had been , come to. tflat if there, was a. surplus stock it would not bo sold at under market.'rates. - The' nurserymen "rendered splendid service to the orchanHndustry by finding ont tho best class of tree for particular localities, and; the-bast varieties of fruit for ' transport'. The' increases in the : area under orchard during the last five years vrere;shown by .tho following -figures i 'Tltero were 35,893 acres under orchard in 1911; 36,967 acres in 1912; 38,797 acres in" 1913; 42,091 acres in 1914; and. 44,819 acres, in 1915. The increase in 'five years >ms twenty-five per cent., or an average of 2160 acres per annum. There should be a. yield of fruit from tlose, trees in full bearing of . 518.380 cases, which at as. per case would return a sum of £129,720.; The number of fruit trees imported in 1913. - was 237,137, and. in 1914 it was 307,287. This did. not include the importation of ctocks-of all kind, for during the year ended March 31 there were imported ■ 676,860 packages of all kinds of shrubs, trees, etc. The exports of fruit had 'been asfollows: —1908, 1236 cases; 1909, 1191 cases; 1910, 5647 cases; 1911; 6031 cases;.l9l2, 14,869 cases'; 1913, 33,000 cases; 1914', 67,96-1 cases; 1915, '62,164 cases. One question which would havo to bo, considered by, the Government was whether the nurserymen in Now Zealand were in a position to provide practically the whole of the trees for , planting throughout New Zealand. Ho reeogmsed that nurserymen could not be expected to plant a crop this year, and spend seven or eight or ten years in bringing on a new variety, which would bo of benefit to the country, without recompense.;. There could bo.no reason why nurserymen, who were helping one of the ETgtst-industries of the country,' name!jv;,the fruit industry, should not'. j;et soino' measure of protection.; The Government might reasonably give legislative, protection to those who were en-' 'dcavcraring to bring .new stock into the

country, which would prodnco fruit freo from disease. .When after years of research nurserymen were able to provide samples of stock which would re-, sist certain parasites, they shpuld be considered in this matter of protection. He felt confident that tho deliberations of tho nurserymen at the conference would be productive of good to • themselves and the wntilo Dominion. When their proposals had been placed in .concrete form they would receive every consideration at the hands of the Government.