VINE CULTERE IN AMERICIA.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 239, 28 January 1888, Page 5

VINE CULTERE IN AMERICIA.

The above is the title of a report furnished in December 1886 to the New Zealand Government- by Mr G. E. Alderton, of Whangaroi, in Hie province of Auckland. This report we received on its publication by the Government some short time back> and we propose to publish portions of it from time to time in The Farmer, as the information it contains is the result of considerable time aud labour intelligently expended upon the work of collecting it in the United States and presenting it in a shape likely to be practically useful to colonial vinegrowers and orchardists. In the early pat tof 1886 Mr Alder ton spent some three months in travelling through the States, and especially throuph the vine and fruitgi owingdistricts observingthe methods of cultivation pursued, and the results obtained, while he collected, for purposes of comparison with our own climate, statistics connected w ith the meteorological peculiarities of the places he visited. Travelling expenses for tyro months were allowed him by the Government here, and although he devoted throe months to the work he very truly points out that a far longer time would be necessary to do justice to the subject of his observations. Jn a letter to the .Minister of Lands, which forms an introet'oa to the report itself, Mr Alderton say The practical conclusion to which I have " from my inquiries is this : That just rccisely what they can do in California in regard to fruit-culture we can do here, at least in the northern part of New Zealand, with these differences : that we must substitute the American native grape for the European, which is almost exclusively in cultivation in California. The necessity for this alteration i* caused by the difference In ' rainfall, California having a dry climate, while we have a comparatively wet one ; but the difference is not to our detriment, since land is only valuablejin California forjfruitculture where it can be irrigated, while here nature affords the necessary moisture, and all our lands are equally valuable. In many parts of California land suitable for fruit-calture fetches from £40 to £120 an acre— ite limited character really giving the great value— but here there ie no limit to area. We only want the fact demonstrated that we can do here what they do in California. It remains with the Government to do it. "The actual annual value of the fruitcrops of California is £2,000,000, and, when it is considered that the great bulk of this amount is the product of thousands of small landowners, who are settled on the land, and on the highway to prosperity, the immense value of such an industry to the State is at once apparent. " The climate of California varies according to latitude and the topography of the country. In some places in the north oranges mature earlier than in the south ; but in California the counterpart of the New Zealand climate is found in many places. In Los Angeles and San Diego, in the south, the finest fruit-districts of the State, the mean temperature for every month of the year is almost similar to that of Auckland, to wit, —

" There is a great difference in the maximum and minimum of heat, but that is not to the disadvantage of our climate, since great extremes are not beneficial to vegetable growth. " The quality of our climate is not appreciated, and, while crowds of English people are going to California and Florida to engage in frnit-culture, our coJony is never thought of for such a purpose But where its merits more fully knofrn in England—that we have here a climfcte surpassed by none in the world, and a country free from every kind of reptile— how many ■would then go to Florida, with its malarial climate, its rivera swarming- with crocodiles, and its jungle with the most deadly snakes ; or to Southern California, the home of the dreaded tarantula ! The English farmers I met at home had been frightened by Froude's 'Oceana'- into the belief that New Zealand was sinking with debt, and that the taxpayer was so overburdened that the colony would have to repudiate. But is such the case ? The farmer in this colony has to pay ft property-tax of fiveeighths of a penny in the* pound (with £500 exemption), and a road-rate of one penny in the pound on the value to let. Now what has he to piy in the United States ? He has to pay 3jjd in the pound on every bit of property he owns, even if it only amounts to a cow ; and he, and every son he may have, has to give six days' labour in the year to road-making and repairing. Apart from the heavy indirect tax the resident of America pays through the heavy protective tar iff in force, he pay s fully three times as much in direct taxation as the Nevv-Zealander; and yet people insist in raising the bogie of heavy taxation in this country. But how infinitesimal is our taxation compared with what the farmer pays in England. Farmers whom I met were paying one-fourth the amount of their rents in taxes ; oiie gentleman paying a rent of £250 and taxes £15 ; another gentleman farming 1,000 acres of land was paying £70 a year as a schoolboard rate alone. These are facts which the English emigrant should hear of ; they are facts which some of our own people are nob acquainted with. " In the fruit; industry I see no reason why people here should not amass the same large fortunes as have been made in California. All that is wanted is the practical knowledge. Fruit-culture is a • science, like all other; things, only acquired and mastered after years of patience and perseverance j but we have all the conditions here favourable -to its prosecution. We must, however, substitute for the present system that followed in America of laying down an orchard so that it can be worked with the plough, «&c, Substituting machinery fbr manual labour in every department, and minimising the expenses. ■ Foreign markets have to be opened up, and the various methods of' canning, v sealing, drying and preserving fruits introduced. "The Government would, I think, do well to give every encouragemcSntto horticultural societies. I would suggest "the giving' of small prizes ioxihe best collections.of fruit, so that .the, Government, could from time to time, have made^' war-models of the finest fruits produced in the colony, to be placed in our mugeums, -and.'<alsp sent jHbme to the Agent General for exhibition in. London. , It .is worthy , of consideration, also,' 1 -vvh'eth'er/'rt" "would notjjse, & f ,g£ea6 benefit 'to &fe 'colony '"if u the f GoVernmeitf were to hold — say, at Auckland— a f frui{; exhibition, and nnvite the American'mariufacturers of orchard implements atid" appliances for evaporating fruiti^&c.-;- to feeWd' exhibits. ■ The? Goverxmierit > could atf^the sameiotime have -taken - at such exhibition 1 wax-models of all the* fruitie I h6wn." • the Colonial; JExhibifcibh* ih "London -all > J tKtf

colonies, excepting New Zealand, had its exhibit of fruit in wax-models. ♦•As for "markets for our fruit, we have hore in Australia upwards of 3,000,000 of people to supply. Other colonies of course produce fruit as well as us ; but it is in the difference of seasons where all localities have their innings! Sydney sends fruit to Auckland before any is ripe here ; Auckland reciprocates by sending fruit to Sydney after the season is over there. Auckland again can send fruit and early vegetables to the South before any is ripe there ; and the Southern fruit comes into Auckland when the local fruits have gone out of season. California and Auckland can exchange by means of having the reverse of seasons ; and fruit— at any rate applos and pearscan be shipped to London, if kept in a temperature of 40 degrees, with the Greatest success. California dried apples are selling in this colony at lOd a pound, of which sum 2d is import-duty, so that with such a heavy protective tariff in its favour, the grower here, with the necessary skilled labour, should have a wide margin of profit. 11 To make" fruit growing a success here two things are essential, namely, first, a knowledge of how to preserve fruit that cannot be placed in the market for dessert purposes ; and, secondly, a union of the fruit-growers to regulate the supply upon the market, to prevent gluts and consequently loae. In America the matter is arranged very simply. The fruit growers band together as a limited liability company. Every orckardlsb takes a dollar share for every aore of fruit he cultivates. A manager and executive com mittee are appointed, who sell all the fruit for the growers on commission, which of course goe3 into the funds of the company. But the way the market is regulated is here : Every fruit-giower sends in to the manager a statement showing how much and of what variety of fruits he will send to market between such and such a date. The manager makes an analysis of all these returns, and . sees at a glance how much is likely to come forward on given dates. If the supply is greatly in excess of the probable demand, he warns the growers ; and they, instead of risking unprofitable prices, either can, Eeal, or evapo* rate their fruit. Thus the market is seldom glutted, and the grower can reckon on a pretty steady price right through, Without such protective measures, fruittrading is the most uncertain, and liable to end ruinously. In England, during the last season, the Kentish growers sent away tons and tons of fruit, and in Borne case* only a few shillings were received by the growers for tons of plums. Organization is imperative. Though the Government may think it distinctly not a matter that they should move in, I think ite importance would warrant measures being taken to promote such an organization here. " The importance of Government taking measures to deal with our insecte-peste at an early date I cannot speak of too strongly. It is of the greatest urgency."

!an Diego Jan. Feb. Mar. April July Aug. Sept. Oct. 52-3 533 55*4 57-9 663 683 66-6 618 May June Nov. Dec. 611 64-4 57*0 55*8 Auckland 529 51-8 534 553 ARA AO-Q AO Q AR-Q 583 61*8 A5-X KA-«