EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2153, 31 March 1908, Page 2

EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS.

FRUIT GROWING AT WAERENGA

THE MINISTER REPLIES TO CRITICISM.

Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, March 30

The Minister of Agriculture, when passing through Christchurch on Saturday night, made some remarks in regard to Mr. It. Nairn’s criticisms of tho Government experimental station at Waerongu, in the Auckland district.

Mr. Nairn, who is a horticulturist of Christchurch, spoke in rather severe terms of tho Government’s efforts to a reporter of the “Dominion” in Wellington. Ho said that peachgrowing at Waerenga had been an absolute failure, that apple culture had not been successful, that the usefulness of the station in regard to experimental growing of general fruits would extend no further than that it-would bo valuable to the Auckland province, that tho station was far too large, and so on. “Waerenga,” the Minister said,“is, amongst other things, a fruit experimental station. So'mo people think that in carrying out experiments tliero should bo no such thing as failure. This view is held by people who have never done any experimental woi’k themselves, but have followed tho good old plan of strict allegiance to tho methods adopted by their ancestors. From the sample of Waerenga fruits sent to mo, I should say that many of them will be a notable success. Whether they can bo grown with success from the commercial point of view is a part ol the experiment that time alone will show. I accept Mr. Nairn’s criticism. Wo get that class of criticism every day on everything the Government is doing. Wo have become so accustomed to it that wo would bo very much surprised if it ceased. We would think that things are not going right. Speaking of experimental stations generally, I believe that a change has come about in the North Island during tho past eighteen months or two years. Wo had to bear tho brunt of much political criticism, until Mr. J. G. Wilson rose and protested against it. Now we are worried by fruit-growers in all parts of tho Dominion. We have requests for stations from Canterbury, from Motueka, and from Otago* Tho man who makes a. living by it, and the man who wants tho cultivation of fruit to be a tiling that he can learn without becoming a professional fruiterer or florist are in different positions. Naturally the professional man feels that ho has some grounds for objection.”