ORCHARD RESEARCH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 170, 5 August 1937, Page 8

ORCHARD RESEARCH

Our Own Correspondent.)

Scheme To Be Continued

(From

WELLINGTON, Last Night. "I am pleased to be able to announee that the orchard research scheme inauguTated five seasons ago is being continued," said the Hon. W. Lee Martin, Minister of Agriculture, when speaking last night at the opening of the conference of the New Zealand Fruit Export Control Board. ,He said that the operations cover a fairly wide field and include the testing of various spraying compounds and other materials for tlie better and more economic control of diseases and pests, orchard manuriai trials and root stock tests. "Already," . said Mr. Lee Martin, " valuable reeults are being obtained which are being passed on for the benefit of growers generally. With a view to obtaining full information on frost control in orchards, the Government Te-. cently arranged for an offieer to visit California, where he investigated the methods employed there. He has npw returned to New Zealand and the reaults of his investigatipns will be made available to fruitgrowers in those districts where frost damage is prevalent. "Tho growth of tho fruit-export trade has brought in its train a number of problems of fruit preservation, and these problems have been the subject of experimental ^work by the Department of Agriculture. At the suggestion of growers, researehes have been carried out in regard to the handling and storage of fruit and the results have been extremely valuable to the industry.'' The Minister referfed to the dmproved ehipping facilities provfding for the better carriage of fruit and tlie question of marketing.