THE Wairarapa Age. MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1912. APPLE-GROWING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10576, 6 March 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age. MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1912. APPLE-GROWING.

The Masterton Chamber of Commerce has tal«n up the task of endeavouring to establish commercial fruitgrowing in this district. They have collected and published certain data which goes to show that climatic conditions and the soil are suitable for fruit growing, and that there is plenty of land available. For reasons stated the Chamber recommends confining any such enterprise to apple growing. The orc'hard area of New Zealand affile present time is 33,839 acres, and that of Great Hritain 335,177 acres, and it would appear, looked at casually, that Britain is able to supply herself with fruit, whereas, as a matter of fact, Britain imports vearlv

fruit to tile value of 10-i millions stci ling. Of this vas-t sum, £2,'250,000 are for apples and £600,000 for pears. It- may be concluded, therefore, that the local Chamber is oil the safe side in recommending that a start be inado with apples, if fruit growing is taken up in Master ton, as there is an assured market. New Zealand fruit reaches Britain at a period when supplies from otlur and nearer countries j are'exhausted, and the Home market j nearly empty. This means less com-; petition and consequently better prices. .To iniike a success of tlie fruit industry there must be hearty co-opera-tion amongst growers, coupled w it'll proper cool storage and cool carriage. Tlie best system of co-operative growing and marketing of fruit will have to"be considered. In Grey.town a large block of land has been purchased and a considerable area of it planted with apple and pear trees. A system that has many points in its favour has been recently introduced in Ireland, by its Agricultural Department. The mode of procedure there is to form groups of 40 farmers, each farmer agreeing to devote one acre of land on his farm to apple growing, on lines laid down by the Department. Expert advice and assistance is provided in securing the -right, kind of ' trees, and provision is 'made for cool 1 storage and marketing of products. This method of growing _ in separate one-acre plots will possibly find favour in this district, but that is a question that may remain in abeyI a nee for decision by settlers interested. The question' to be first decided is, "Will co-operative apple-growing pay?" In order to gain some idea as ' to the cost of making an orchard, enquiries have 'been made in the kelson district. Only an approximate esti- j mate could be obtained, which showed that clearing and ploughing per acre was £2 10s, harrowing and discing 10s, 150 trees to the acre £6, planting and pegging second year 15s, and three years' cultivation £lB, making a total cost per acre for labour and material £27 15s. In addition to tlie cost of the land and loss of interest, payment of rates and incidental expenses, the foregoing sum has to be added to the cost per acre before any return is made. It is usual to get a first return from an orchard on the fourth year, and a good yield on the fifth year. On the other hand, the return is large,and oil an export trade the possibilities from a monetary point 1 of view are excellent. For local sales, j £2O per acre net is considered to be a low return for apples,.but on an export trade prices are v«i'y great, while ' they naturally help to keep up-local -rates. At a penny per pound, and averaging tiie return from, four to five tons to tlie acre, the yield ranges from £36 to £4l gross, but in London apples are bringing'-from 12s to 15s per case, and in Germany from 14s 6d to £1 4s per case. These prices, in some instances, are over 100 per cent, above the nrices generally obtained in New Zealand, but this season apples have brought 18s per case in Wellington. There is no reason why New Zealand fruit should nbt .be sold on the London market to the same advantage as New Zealand butter ■ and ■ cheese, and frozen mutton.