NOTABLE NEW ZEALAND. INDUSTRY.

Taihape Daily Times, 25 June 1919, Page 4

NOTABLE NEW ZEALAND. INDUSTRY.

SUCCESSFUL SEED. FARMING At the Town Hall, in which the A. and P, Winter Show is being held today, there is a most remarkable display of “Cooper’s Seeds of Success,” and of the products which have been grown from them_ -Built up right across the large stage, and upwards to where the flies hang, -this exhibit constitutes one of the most striking dis--plays of the kind ever seen at -any New Zealand agricultural show, and it ‘easily o'vers'hadows all other exhibits in the Town Hall in its vattrac-A tiveness and artistic construction. “Cooper’s Seeds of Success” is "the appellation chosen by two yéung men Fred and George Cooper, y‘O~ung New Zealanders, Who, as young -men com. luenced a New Zealan.d..l'ndust,~ry that has grown under their care, knowledge, enterprise, aeum=en,- and honesty to almost unbelievable magnitude. Hm». ing “a nurseryman father, it‘ was in the

order of (things that the"'_twlo. ilads. should-take a shop, in Wellingtonanqi sell imported seeds in "addi ‘on to florist’s fiowersigrown in their-gather’s nursert at the Hutt. While, making , up ordersior seeds to be despatched to various European countries, ‘the ques; tion ‘arose in their minds, “Why not New Zealand-grown seeds? This country has about the fincst climate in the world; its growing season is longer tha.n that of rnost other countries, and. it was this thought that led to’ the acquisition of a few acres of land near Blenheim for the first crop of New Zealand seeds. Pea-growing was a great‘ success, beans were a little less so, {but ‘~ sufliciently profitable to be made. permanent. Then parsnip seed was tried, with equally happy resul‘ts, carrots, swedes, mangolds, and almost. every farm and 1 garden economic plant ‘followed till "the seed-growing farms growing “Coopers’ Seeds of Success” grew rfrom a few acreis to several thousands of acres, and until, a world- 3 wide trade had to be established to absorb the t}i‘ousan'ds of tons of their products. The two Coopers continm~'d_ N their retail trade, but devoted‘ alnmsti I their entire energies to growing for“ wholesale distributilon. It was not an easy road to success; shopkeep'u'_; in this country has been selling «fie seeds ofaother well-known firms -so -long that their customers would not touch the Cooper Bros.’ products, but the seeds were successfully Sgrownz, and they had to be successfully sold; if New Zcalanders would not buy New Zcaland—grown seeds, then they must be sold in England‘, or America, or‘ wh-erever a market was possible. -Un_daunted, Mr Fred Cooper determinedlf set sail for America and Europe, carrying with him samples of the products of New Zealand farms, and “Coopers" Seeds” were indeed “seeds of suc--cess.” Foreign trade grew, Mr Fred continuing his travels right through‘ America and Britain, and later toFrance and Italy. It will surprisesome people to learn that when they insist upon having seed peas under the name of some noted firm of English scedsmen, they are actually demanding peas" that were grown ‘in ‘New Zealand and "exported ‘to “Eng--land, packed under pan’s” English name,’ ‘and’ 'rct.urned' to ’New Z-caland for sale in retail shops. ’ Those peas are “Co'Opers"V ‘Seeds hr‘-“' Success.” Thousand" of bushels of seed“ ‘peas of cverylpuopular variety are now ‘A annually exported to England ‘and " other countries. Some idea ofthe com-7 prchensiveness and magnitude is given‘ in the fact that upwards of 30 tons of‘ mangold seed were grown and sold by‘ the Coopers last ycar—3o tons of‘ mangold seed! Coopers’ have three seedicleaning plants, each being equipped’ with the world ’s Very best machinéry‘, To-‘day there are few people in thisDominion who are not familiarzwith , “Coopers’ Seeds of Suc'cess,”'-iand‘. there are few retailers from the‘:N‘orth~‘ Cape to the Bluff who do not —sellt.hem_ New Zealand-grown seeds have‘-‘W ‘takcnia leading place in the secd.~'j= trade of the world, all because two dc-I tcrmined young men. believed in: their country to produce the equals in seeds toany other eountryvon-earth-. »:‘:They“ asked for no protection‘ for the task they had launched upon; bytlieir own indomitable pluck -and energy they got New Zealanders to ‘grow . their vegetables from‘ New Zealand seed, but it was an onerous. arduous, and dispiriting task to gain the people’s confi- , dence, and tons of seed had actually to be given away to prove that Coopers " New Zealand-grown seeds were superi'or to any that were imporfid. Opposite the Evening Post Oflice in Willis Street, the Coopers have erected one of the largest and finest buildings in Wellington; in Dixon Street they have another huge :four-‘storey -structure; in Christchurch another, and at Blenheim they also have -a large esfab- ‘/ lishment. The Coopers sell more tons" of seed each year now than they did’ pounds in the old. iniportihg‘ days. Coopers’ is one of the largest lICSS firms in this Dominion, and it stands to their credit that by sheer‘ merit their seeds are being sold nearly all over the world. Coopers’ success is the outcome of the success of their New Zealand-grown seeds; these ‘two young men made this Dominion famous" as a garden and farm seed-producing country, and they are still looking for neW Worlds to conquer. The leading seed firms of Europe and America put Coopers’ seeds in ‘packets bearing the names of their respective firms ,with.. the 11tm0St. -confidence, knowing ’th_at; .- they have the best. ‘ ‘ Coopers’ See.ds‘--of Success”, divide the honours of__., success with the Coopers who biroughtgvu. them into" world—wi'de. lfame, One need’ only visit the Cooper seed farms to A. realise what intensive cultivation, . means to this country. , _.