WHEELBAND’S NURSERY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 975, 13 July 1882, Page 3

WHEELBAND’S NURSERY.

Our instinct of curiosity having been aroused by the poetry written about the above nursery, we could not rest very well until we went and saw for ourselves whether the reality was anything near the ideal picture given of it by the poet of Geraldine. Wc were alarmed by the suggest’ons thrown out by the poet to the ladies of this district, but since our visit, we feel much easier in our mind, as we could not see anything in Mr Wheelband’s nursery except fruit and forest trees, flowers, and shrubs of an excellent and varied kind. Before we enter minutely into a detailed description of the nursery, wc may point out its importance to the district as a local industry. The advocacy of local industries, and local enterprises has become a ‘hobby* with us. We let, and we mean to continue to let, no opportunity pass of pointing out to the peop e the importance of local industries, and the advisability of fostering and encouraging them. People would naturally think that a nursery garden is not much of an industry, but when they are reminded that it employs about ten men constantly, | whose aggregate wages not be much less than £2O per week they will realise its importance. People, therefore, should by all means do all in their power to foster and encourage local institutions, for by doing so they will be adding value to their own properties. But to proceed with the subject under view. The Oxford nursery and seed garden covers an area of seven acres and Mr Wheelband has besides 10 acres under vegetables. The first thing that attracts the attention of the visitor# is the

tasteful manner in which the ground has been laid out, although now in the height of winter it is seen at a disadvantage. But several improvements are to be made in it. Mr Wheelband contemplates making a large gate in the fence fionting on the main road, and placing seats bn ;a main walk which runs up through the centre of the nursery so that people can enjoy an afternoon promenade in it. The nursery as a whole is an excellent one, and well worthy of a visit. Inside the gate is a small space in which there are nicely laid out flower beds, blit these sink into insignificance when the more interesting features of the nursery are met with. Amongst a lot of other young trees, in the immediate vicinity, English and Irish Yews rise up prominently', and some specimens of the cryptomeria elegans, beside a very rare mugho. Perhaps<the leading feature of the nursery, however, is the large variety of gum trees, which are to be seen in various stages of growth, some being just pricked out In boxes and others much more advanced. In those boxes are almost all the kinds of gums ever heard of, the stringy bark gum, the iron bark, the white gum, the cinorea, the blood red gum of Western Australia, and a great many more, the names of which have escaped our memory. There are altogether over 100,000 plants of the gum family in the nursery, and they present a very healthy appearance. The gum tree is becoming very popular in this district, and bearing this in mind Mr Wheelband hn# paid these young plants special attention, so as to be able to meet the requirements of his customers. Adjoining these are a grand lot of seedling larch just ready for transplanting in spring, and numbering about 60,000 plants. They are well grown, and have an excellent color. A few native matipos attract attention owing to the pmtiness of their foliage even under the influence of a biting frost, and hakeas—• flowering shrubs of groat beauty—are objects of interest. The bskea is new in this district, and as it makes a very handsome and useful fence Mr Wheelband has introduced it. There are also some fine specimens of tho Douglas pine, the pinus ponderosa, the mountain ash, and a new kind of gum tree whose under foliage in summer is of a bright scarlet color, while the other side is green, beside the peppermint gum, named on account of smelling much like peppermint. About 40,000 plants of spruce fir are in a very good condition, and well-grown, Another newly introduced kind of growth called the African box thorn was shown. It is a kind of shrub suitable for fencing, and grows very rapidly, It has a very delicate foliage, but underneath are very formidable thorns as strong and sharp as those on barbed wire, and as it grows v*ry rapidly it makes a fence in two years that will stop all kinds of cattle. There are a great variety ef seeds in the seed garden, in which are sunk some concrete tanks for holding water. From these tanks a concrete channel runs along the footpath, which carries a stream of water along it to the end of the garden. The Engliah beech tree is very rare in New Zealand owing to the greet difficulty which Is experienced in importing it, but Mr Wheelhand has secured some plants of it which are thriving- well. He has also some fifty thousand ash trees, in splendid condition, and it would be impossible to enumerate his stock of haeel, filbert, and cobb nut trees, hi* walnut trees, apple trees, pe»r trees, peach trees, and fruit trees of all kinds. The fruit trees are clean and healthy looking, and in all stages of growth, from the minute little seedling, scarcely perceptible above the earth, to the tree bearing it* bunches of apple*. It is rather a rare thing to see apples growing on trees at thi* season of the year, but they are to be seen in Mr Wheelband’s nursery, and perhaps it was thess apples that awakened the muse of the Geraldine poet. He has also 100,000 plants of white thorn for fencing, and a great variety of rose trees. Some specimens of the pinus muricata look exceedingly well. Thi* tree is on* of the best known for affording shelter owing to the density of it* foliage and its compactness. There are some of the cupressus lawsoniana, the pinus insignus, and the pinus maritime to be seen and they are splendid specimens. It has often been argued that the English larch will not thrive well in Now Zealand, but this has been proved to bo a fallacy by Mr Wheelband. There is an English larch in his nursery which has grown to the height of over ten feet in threo years, but it is well sheltered by a wattle tree, and this it the great secret of , its success, Mr Wheelband is convinced after this experiment that if planted between other trees which would afford it shelter, the English larch would grow very successfully. Next came under notice a large quantity of sycamore saplings, adjoining a corner in which there is an immense stock of seedlings of all kinds of trees. Near this is a piece of ground where the evergreen privet is to be seen. Mr Wheelband states that th* evergreen privet planted alternately with the white thorn makes the best quick fence known, as owing to the privet keeping green all the year round it supplies foliage when it is lost in winter by the white thorn. Some beautiful and well-grown specimens of the golden arbrivita ornament corners* and look exceedingly pretty,and a healthylooking, A lot of auricula imbricata, in

pots, are objects of much interest, as they are looked upon as the finest specimen plants grown. There ore also 15,000 pinus •ustriaca ready for going away. About 100,000 plants have already left the nursery this season, yet they cannot be missed out of it, and no one who was unaware of it could notice whore a plant had been taken away. MrWheelband grows all his own seed In the nursery, as well ns in the vegetable garden, and consequently can guarantee it.