The Daily News SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1904. FRUIT CULTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 283, 3 December 1904, Page 2

The Daily News SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1904. FRUIT CULTURE.

In view of the importance of the fruit-growing industry to this colonj and tihe already considerable expens*.: to which both tlie Uovennoitnt and private persons are cominitUxl in j oilier to foster it, any experience which may clear the way to aiore intelligent effort in this direction must be of general interest. Quito recently the Government has appointed an expert at a high salary to organise the establishment of can niug lactones, and for years. Ihcivl has been a large stall engaged in the work of supervising and directing the production of all kinds of orchard products-. Notwithstanding the efforts of this stall', however, oui supply of fruit is neither cheap noi very good, and, while Tasmania derives a. yearly mcreas»g revenue 1 from its export of fruit and fruii pulps, we are not ajole to supply more than a fraction of our own ■demands. Many thousands of pounds leave this colony yearly in exchange for Australian and Califo-mian products, while at the same time thosj who have embarked capital in the planting of orcliards complain 01 sadly inadequate returns, and consumers find even the commoner, kinds of fruit much too dear for abundant consumption. These undeiiia'ble facts indicates that we are not working on correct lines, either in the production of fruit or 'in the systematic control of our own market. One of the difficulties we have to face was touched on a t the Auckland Fruitgrowers Conference on the 30th ult. by Mr Sharp, the well-known orchardist of that.district. "I have tested," said Mr Sharp, 'every variety of peach recommended for canning purposes by Oalitornian experts, and have n o t found one that is suitable to our clunate.'' Other speakers agreed with Mi- bharp, and suggested that the Agricultural Department should expciiuKuc in order to discover suitable varieties. Mr Howell, a Taurang.t orchardist, whose experience with sixteen acres of peaches had taught him that none of the kindsMe had tried were to be relied o ii, Said that, could a consistent bearing peach tree of good (quality be discovered, he would be prepared to extend bjs orchavd by one hundred acres for its special cultivation.

That this stumbling-block at the threshold <rf the industry is a very real one is the experience of every grower, and there is no doubt thai there is 'only one means which is likely to remove it—the origination of with u constitution lit for the peculiarities of their environment. This, i n a less degree, holds goad with regard t 0 otter fruits as well ,as the peach, and in our opinion there will be no ■high level of success obtained by our New Zealand fruit-growers until such varieties are raised. The Department of Agriculi ture may do something to assist o«chardists- in -this direction-, but in our opinion there is plenty of room for private effort. Distinct varieties of plants aro obtained in- two ways, both of which have given some markable gains. The former of these by the propagation of "s-povts," that is by fixing and propagating such chance variations of a desirable character as may occur on any •given plant. It is observed occasionally that on one portion of a tree there appears a flower or fruit varying from the type, and if the variation is an improvement the expert grower grafts or buds from that portion of his plant, ami so fixes a new variety. But the vastly greater number of improved kind's are raised from seed, and it is only by this -process that the propagator can work systematically with anv prospects of good results. With or without systematic artificial crossfertilisation, seeds- of good varieties are saved and sown. The resulting pla«ts are grown on until they reach the fruiting stage, which in some cases may be hastened by grafting on, advanced stocks, and if their produce shows desirable qualities they then pass into general cultivation. This process of culture from seed is necessarily very slow, and when engaged in on a large scale is also proportionately expensive. But carried out scientifically it can be made extremely profitable, as has been proved by the experience of Mr Luther lUirbank, the well-known (Jalifornian raiser of numerous new varieties. The horticultural world is always prepared to pay harjd.vomolv for .a good thing, -and any person who controls the whole stock of am now plant which the world wants is sure of an ample reward for his patience and labour.

It is in this direction we wouW counsel New Zealand growers to proceed. Every person who Iras an orchard can spare a corner' for experiments, and after his seedlings have attained their first year's growth the less attention in the shape of "doctoniog." that he gives them the better. W c would emphasise tiliis latter point for this reason. What is wanted is not any new variety which requires continual attention and protection, but a haiviv plant which Ban hold its own against weather and disease with nothing beyond common cultivation and freedom from undue competition for light and nourishment. It is a ipiestion of the survival of the' fittest, and the way to obtain that desirable result is to interfere with nature as little as possible. From a gross of peach-stones, for example, it oug'ht to be easily possible to liaise one hundred new plants. On account of the continual cultivation ajhi inter-crossing of varieties of garden fruits it to seldom possible to raise a seedling of the exact type Of the parent plant. Therefore the

hundred seedlings will probably j contain as many varieties. Whan such of these as light their own way •n to the fruiting stage lia.e.iviwn their (qualities', it may be found that the 'grower has wasted His limf and lalbour, but also he may ihs'-o*er that he has originated one or more groat passes, 'lite great probability i» that even if he do not attain to any startling result, he will lind himself with some good, vigorous, plants, giving excellent crops 01 average quality, and thvy will certainly be superior in haidin.>>,s and resistance to disease to L.ost ol' the imported varieties. Many oi our orehaid trees are lifty jui.i: ol age, or upwards ; for, despite grafting on young stocks, every scion is as old as its original seedling. One consequence of tlvisi continuous piopugation of old plants is found in the increasing dilliculty of coiiu'oliine; insect aind fungoid pests. The insisting powers of an old plant are those which fittod il to thrive in Ihe cn- , vironment of its origin at the time at which it grew to maturity, less whatever portion of its strength has waned away with increasing age. The pesitsi which assail it are the littest descendants' of manifold generations, which in Lhe struggle tur existence have yearly increased their powers of offence. The resisting ijuuli- 1 ties of the tree have been stationary or have weakened ; the aptitude for attack of its many enemies has become keener and keener.

In these facta we find the explanation of most of the orchardists' difficulties. Jn addition to these he has tot ideal with plants which have been propagated by a process of coddling ai»d which have no independent powers of existence. The remedy for these evils is to be found only in the raising of new varieties of fruit frees, with sound constitutions and natural fitness for their special environ-; ment. The Department of Agriculture may do much in this direction, but in our opinion more could be done by such measures as would encourage the liaising at new and meritorious varieties by private growers. The offer by the Government of a substantial bonus for any worthy gain in this respect would probably stimulate many to take up the interesting work of raising seedlings, and in a few years the good results' would be seen in the absence of nine-tenths of tjue pests 'and Bisappointinents which at present render the work o the New Zealand orcharclist always uncertain and often unproflUbU,