EXPERIMENTAL FARMS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 May 1910, Page 4

EXPERIMENTAL FARMS.

To tlio Editor. Sir,---Tin l Iff> 11. T. Mackenzie, at tlio Farmers' I'liion banquet, ;iifc Marten, made reference to tlie -Wuninhnki l':itin. ]lt» .state'l in llii' past the farm lia<l cost the DcpaiitiiH'ii'fc ,£">()() n year on the fruit section, and it Ikhl proved a failure. It scenic almost incredible to anyone U> think it should take the Agricultural Department nearly 20 ve,ars to prove that fruit could' not lu grow,n pir^italily on the Momoliaki State Kami. The Waverley district- was never noted for fruit growing. The fruit section has been under .Mr Palmer and other pomologists lor many years. Then, who is'to Maine fortius great waste ol money and tiiuuH If the heads "I the department were expert, arid a little more far-seeing, they.should detect, all these failures much sooner, and not allow failures to continue for an [nde/huto period. Here in Levin wo have the tines: climate .and conditions, for fruit growing in the North Island- aim what, lias the Agricultural DeparitHiiMit none in the way uf assisting the fruit industry in our district? Il half the money that lias been spent mi Momohaki had been spent judiciously on the Weraroa TCxperiiinuit I'arm in fruit experiments, we would have something to show lor (lie expenditure. At present all the fruit experiments aro conjunct e:l on the very best land on the I a rin, which is not a pur test, a.-, most ol the land in this district is stony, and to 'ineet the requirement.*; of this class cf land, part ol' the experiments should be conducted r;,n I lie stony land, as some of the best varieties of fruit trees would lie a failure on stony land, though on heavy, rich land they would be i success. The department should I;; ill a position to state and show fruit growers what fruit trees would lie must profitable for tliein to cultivate. It would be the means o! encouraging the cultivation of fruit on a much larger scale. —T a.m, etc..