A Walk round some of the Gisborne Nurseries.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 961, 16 July 1881, Page 2

A Walk round some of the Gisborne Nurseries.

If the inhabitants of this district were all aware of the existence tend locality ? of these gardens, and of the excellent stock they contain-, it is quite certain fewer prders would be sent out of the Bay, and the money sent away for imported trees, &c., would be kept in the place. Buyers would find that they got more for their money, for in the transplanting fewer trees would fail; the unavoidable injuries of carriage, shipment, transhipment,, many handlings, and consequent bruise.s _by reason of importation by sea would be entirely avoided. Moreover the trees raised at local nurseries are, of course, perfectly acclimatised before removal, and suffer, hardly any, if indeed any, stoppage of growth. There is another great advantage iri buying at local gardens. You can see the plants growing and make your own selection, buying what you want, and leaving what you don’t want, and you can remove them just as it suits you, taking advantage of the weather, which, of course, you cannot do as regards importations. That part of the town lying to the north of Palmerston Road appears to be of much richer character than that, on the south side, and the subsoil of clay is reached at about two feet, whereas elsewhere in the town the soil is of a light sandy nature, and subsoil there is none, unless the blue clay met at the average depth of eight feet can be so called, but clearly it poes not answer the chief purpose of a subsoil, viz., to intercept and keep near tb.9 surface whatever in the way of nourishment it applied to the soil. The soil and aspect of some of our local nurseries are perfect, nature has been liberal, the hand of man is now turning those advantages to account. The visitor will find great numbers of healty young fruit trees of the most prolific kinds, worked on blight proof stocks, some actually having fruit now on them, and all showing great promise of it. There are also many varieties of ornamental and useful trees and shrubs, and a large quantity os flowering plants, bulbs, &e., many being of rare and expensive kinds. A great mistake made by many persons is that they order or purchase at sales, trees and plants of which they knoW nothing, to plant in situations and soils of which they know less ; now such persons by visiting local nursery gardens can describe their soils and localities ; can see actually growing those things most suited to their requirements, and can obtain information and directions how to treat and grow the same. Under these conditions they will find a shilling well spent will go further than previous pounds spent in an indiscriminate manner. — [Communicated].