HORTICULTURE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 107, 30 January 1920, Page 6

HORTICULTURE

. «, STATE OF THE INDUSTRY. Mi-. T. \V. Kirk (Director of Horticulture) gnvo some very interesting facts about the horticultural industry to the Nurserymen's Conference yesterday. Ho stilted that Hie Department of Annculture had worked out the following estimates of the value, of horticultural products grown in New Zealand:— Fruit products ;!,057,125 Nursery slock :)50,200 Market gardens 5,000,01)0 Products of bee-keeping 200,800 Total £11,308,125 Mr. Kirk pointed out that the capital invested in cold stores, orchards, plant, and, by-product factories was if>,100,230, while .£407,700 was invested in the nursery business, .fc1,700,000 in market gardens, and ,l'l,0i:i,0(]0 in apiaries and plant, giving a total of .C 11,251,550. 'J'ho ! value of the annual turnover was estimated at nine millions sicrling. Mr. Kirk staled that in view of these figures the eonferenec was right in urging llio ejitahlishnient of a school of horticulture. At present there was. no place | in New Zealand where education, in the I above-mentioned subjects was available i < me ■ and women i-nterim; the industrv. The point must not be lost sight [ of that through horticulture n large amount of land had gone into cultivation, when it would not. have been utilised for ordinary farming. There was no doubt about the justice of the clniui for a school of horticulture, but it was a question for iho Government to find tho money. '