A SUCCESSFUL POMOLOGIST.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2111, 10 February 1908, Page 1

A SUCCESSFUL POMOLOGIST.

MR, JAMES WHITE’S “PEACH GROVE,” ORMOND. • LUSCIOUS EIMJIT AND PLENTY 0E IT. ■ ilia tho course of liis peregrinations through the country,hi Gisborne Times representative droppbd in on Monday last at Mr. J runes ] White’s “Poach Grove,” Ormond. .On entering tho gateway through tho:high liiaerocnrpa hedge which surrounds tlio orchard and completely screens it from the inquisitive gaze of tjie passer-by, the sight which met the eyes of tlio newspaper man must have been just such a ouo us Whittier tells us gladdened tho hearts of Leo’s 'jn-ar-wprn veterans when they marched over tho hills of Maryland into Fredericks town “oil that ploasant morn of. the early lull.” “Round about iiieiu orchards styeop, Apple and pouch trees .limited deep; Fair as a garden of the Lord To the eyes of the famished rebel horde!” Mr. ,'Jamcs White,- the proprietor, was found busy at wjirk making cases in which to despatch orders to all parts of the Dominion. With his characteristic hospitality, Air White took tlio journalist round the orchard; and while lie displayed, tree after tree of apple, pikfchyjibar, pKim, apricot, cherry, nectarine, tig and walnut, literally groaning under the weight of Fruit tlio branches had to bear, lie descanted learnedly and interestingly oil fruit-growing. The orchard is three and a-half acres in extent, ami was planted eighteen years ago by Air. AVhito himself. The proprietor was born and bred a pomologist, as his father before him was a fruit-grower in an extensive way in “I ho Garden of England,” Kent, and here the present proprietor of “Peach Grove” received the thorough training in fruit culture which has enabled him to produce such a luxuriant and profitable orchard as the one to be seen at Ormond.

What strikes one immediately is the particularly healthy appearaneo of tho fruit. There was not tho faintest semblance of codlin motli to he detected on a single tree, and Air. White stated that ho has never been troubled with this pest, which lvas rendered useless so many orchards in the district. Mr. White sprays his trees with arsenate of lead, and emphatically assorts, with justifiable pride, that there is not a single moth or pest of any kind in tlio orchard. Truly, his orchard is worth going a long way to soo. The apple and pear trees are so heavily laden with fruit that the branches in'many cases have snapped under the weight. Some visitors from Nelson happened in at the “Peach Grove” recently, and, after viewing the phenomenal yield, said: “We were always under tlio conviction that we could grow fruit in Nelson, but after what wo have seen in this orchard we are satisfied wo can’t.” There are over 200 peach trees in the orchard, including all varieties from Brigg’s Red May, which come in before Christmas, to the late varieties which ripen in March. There arc hundreds of plum trees, of 'almost every known varioty. To give some idea of the phenomenal yield, it is only necessary to state that Mr. AVhito took 16 cwt. of purple gage plums of! one tree last month, which were shipped to Dunedin. . Air. White has shipped away this season already to Aloritzson and Co., Dunedin, over 350 cases of stone fruit, and had 100 cases to get ready -for Wednesday’s boat for tlio same firm.

There are two large summer houses in the grounds, which Ah'. AVhito utilises for growing early tomatoes, and which are stocked with early grapes. The grapes are well forward, considering that they have only been eighteen months planted and that so much of tho strength of tlio vines must have gone to wood producing. In these times of dear fruit, it -is surprising to learn that Atr. AA’hito supplies fruit at the orchard at Id per lb, and delivers fruit in town at ljjd per lb. Dessert pears are the only exception, and 2} per lb aro charged for those. There is a remarkable crop of onions in the orchard, not one in the bed scaling less than half a pound, while two which were exhibited at Mr. Con. Neenan’s turned the scale at 51b. . . Anyone who wauls to satisfy himself what scientific fruit culture, combined with the fertile soil of the Poverty Bay flats, can do should take a run out to the “Peach Grove,” and .have ocular demonstration of a phenomenal yield of healthy fruit which could hardly bo surpassed anywhere.