Broad Hints to English Farmers.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2474, 19 May 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

Broad Hints to English Farmers.

Tho British farmer is not wanting counselors in this hour of trouble. Lectures are given, and professors are published reams of good advice. At the London Farmer's Club lately, Mr W. F>. Boar read a entitled "Agricultural Conr petition," which he treated under three -heads. 1, flaw it affects us. 2. How it affects our competitors. 3. How wo can best meet it. How it affects English farmers we know fairly well. Australians also know how its affects "competitors ,, in their own country. On the question " how we can best meet it." Mr Bear shall speak for himself:—First and foremost, he says, by British pluck, by a complete reversal of our method of meeting it, by standing up against it, instead of lying down and asking our rivals to trample on us, by never knowing when we are beaten, like British aoldicrs, instead of calling out before we are hurt; by putting our own shoulders to the wheel instead of calling upon Jupiter to come and help us out of

the rut, "'lt is a forlorn hope,' say timid mortals, 'and pluck is of no use' I do not bulieve them. Wn have the best markets in the world for farm produee, as well as one of the best of climates for what wo grow, and we have cheaper and better ,Inborn , than most countries. Thmi why should home producers he beaten in their own markets? Because of the expense of production—that is the answer, and the only answer. Well, then, let the landlords and tenants join in reducing the cost of production, and let Parliament help them as fin-as possible, with justice. If

rents aro not low onon.yli— und tlicv are not, as yet, in many parts of the country, with prices at the present level—they must come down—they will come down. The landlord's only choice lies between the ruin of his tenant first and reduction afterwards, and reduction at once to save his tenants from ruin. Aflfor temporary remissions, after 10 years of severe depression, they aro absurd. They do ,iot give their recipients oourage rind hope as permanent reductions would Then, if fiscal burdens on land aro too heavy, they must bo reduced, though it is to be feared there in not much to be done in that way. Wage's are reduced enough already. Indeed, they are too low in the southern half of England ; but unless the men will earn more they cannot have more. If they want American wages let them work as the American ' hired man ' lias to work. The average farm labourer, without any excos-sivo oxertion, could easily double his value to his employer. Tiikinc the second round, he works pretty well half his time, and does not use thn other half to the best advantage. But in the north, where he is far better paid, ho appears to give better value for his money. This is a significant fact, but then yon cannot turn a Dorset labourer into a Northumberland hind (I. hope he is called a hind, for I wanted a change of terms) by simply doubling his wages. What we want to do is to economise labour while paying the labourer well. . . . Tn short, with just laws, rents adjusted to existing conditions, fair play all round from the State and from tho railway companies, freedom and security for enterprise, and the pluck and self-reliance to be expected from Britons under such cireumstauccs, there would be no reason to fear, on behalf of the best farmers in the world, the results of agricultural competition."

A Waikato Orchard. The biggest thing in the way of orchards in Waikato, probably in New Zealand, ie the one at Hautapu owned and worked by Messrs John Sharp and Hugh Ferguson, consisting as it doesofsonie thirty acres of land in fruit trees, fourteen acres being in full bearing, and the remainder planted with trees from one to three years olri. The land thus occupied was formerly a wet heavy piece of ground, sprinkled with titree scrub, patches of rushes and thelike; and generally appeared about as unpromising a spot as any in the neighbourhood ; whereas now it is without exception one of the finest properties in the district, and tho energetic and plucky proprietors have already begun to reap the reward of their enterprise and the hard work they hare ungrudgingly bestowed upon it. The soil, which of late years appeared so barren and worthless, proves, when properly drained and cultivated, to bo of the very best description for fruitgrowing, and the astonishing crops in the older portion of the orchard, as seen by our reporter wlieu he visited the place towards the end of last season, were a sufficient indication that tho land had been put to its best nso, and in spite of the codlin moth, or any other pest, would give a handsome return to its cultivators. Under the guidance of Mr Sharp the longest planted portion was first visited. This consists of eight acres, principally in plums and apples, although there are numerous poach trees, which look very healthy. Pears also do well, and a number of filbert trees, which were planted as an experiment, are also turning out satisfactorily. At the time of the visit, however, the plums were the principal show, and truly they were a splendid sight, the trees loaded aud turned for the nonce into weeping plum trees, owing to the masses of fruit they carried, the rich colours of fruit, from pale to deep yellow, from faint pink to vivid crimsom aud regal purple, contrasted with the foliage, and made a picture so pretty that it seemed a P'ty to spoil it by plucking the luscious burdens that strained the branches to breaking point. Of the numerous varieties grown, perhaps Pond's Seedling was most noticeable as being remarkably prolifiic; Royal de Braunau green gage, was spoken of as a free grower, aud bearing a good crop; Fulton, a late American variety, was splendidly cropped; Russian Damaous barely allowed the wood to be seen for fruit; Heine Claude du Bavay was breaking its branches in all direotions ; River's Early Prolific had borne a grand crop, and was spoken of as one of the best the proprietor had ; McLaughliu'd Gage, an American plum which follows the lastnamed variety in bearing, is also a prolific bearer, and lasts about three weeks ; Takapuna Drop, one of our latest plums, was breaking down the trees bearing it: this plum, by the way, grows on a handsomely shaped tree of a spreading habit, and with a little care can be made to look very ornamental, Belle de Lonvaine is a fine plum, and Blue Perdrigon, sweet as nectar, is a free grower and good cropper. Angelina Biirdett, an early blue plum, at three year's old, bore nixty pounds weight of fruit, and is considered a steady cropper. A lot of white Magnum Bonums were noticed which promised to get very big, and Blue Impiratrice, the latest plum to ripen, was promising very well. The apple crop had been mainly harvested, but some vory line specimens were still on the trees, Ohinenuiri's had borne a big crop of splendid apples, and Home Five Crown Pippins had every branch covered. Mr Sharp said that I although this sort ia reckoned a bad oue for the moth, by carefully goiug over the trees and by the use of bands he was able to keep them under, Our reporter made a careful inspection of the tree and failer to discover a single apple bearing presence of the dreaded scourge. A noticeable feature was the handsome appearance aud absence of any disfigurement of the fruit, and this Mr Sharf attributes to the constant cultivation of the ground between the trees by which means the harbouring of beetles and other insects which injure the fruit is obviated, Biemarcks made a grand show, as did Celines and Lady E[enn,jkers. Betty Geesqn was in, disgrace, not being good enoijgh to cultivate, and will have to give place to something better, Stone Pippin, Romanite, and Twyforcl Beauty (a pretty antuipn apple) were all in favour, Grand. Duke Constantino was a very showy fruit; American Mother Apple was also considered deseiving of praise as the best dessert apple of its season, and Waggoner and Early Pearmain came in for a share of commendation, the former as a fine cropper and splendid keeper, and the latter as one of the best summer sorts, and thoroughly blight proof. New and Qld Hawthorndcns were doiqg well; Stephcnson's Winter Apple is a/ fine keeper, and free from moth, and Knutsford Fillbasket bore out its reputation. Of other sorts Webb's winter apple, a young tree, was bearing fruit in masses ; Defiance, another young one, was bearing well for the first time ; Golden Spire, an early cider appjo, was mentioned as bearing a heavy annual crop; Dougherty, was mentioned as one of the best of keepers; Worcester Pearmain, a nice midsummer fruit, but Dovebank, although a free cropper, was not considered good enough for the rest of the company and was to be cleared out. Numerous other varieties wore grown, but received no special mention. The next portion of the orchard, containing six acres, has been four yoare planted,

principally with early varieties of apples, including Irish Peach, Carolina Red June, Primate, Jupp's Surprise, Lord Snffield, Twyford Heaufcy and others, Here the crop, a heavy one, had been almost all gathered. A very pretty apple named Lord Lennox was noticed, and also a sport from au Irish l'.-auh. Out of a hundred trees planted, one sported and liore a dark crimson fruit similar to a red Astrackan, with a delicious flavour. Some Early Hnrrests here had borne a fine crop, also the Hall apple, a fine keeper, lining in good condition in November. The only patch of light soil in the orchard is in this part of it, and it is found that, the apples do not succeed so well here as in ths heavy ground, and that they are more liablo to blight. Next comes a piece of twelve acres, planted two years, with between four ami five hundmd varieties of apple*, many of which have borne Fruit already ; there is also an acre of pears and halfan-aere of nursery, principally of plums and apples. In addition to this, two acres planted last winter have started very well, and the ground between the young , trees has been worked for potatoes. The trees are planted twelve feet apart for plums, and fifteen feet for apples, and the whole of the ground and the trees receive careful attention, and are kept in a manner highly creditable to the owners, who are to be congratulated on the possession of the finest orchard in t'ic district.

Apples for LondonJ. R. Fryer and Co. write as follows : —According to promise we hasten to iuform your numerous readers that we have this day received a Ciiblugrura from our London agents, doted April 20th, which runs thus:—" Fruit ex Victoria arrived in <rood order, arid soUinsr well, avoid chuff."

We lire sure the interest you have takei in this new industry will eusure us th<

privilege of saying , to your readers a few words which may be of service to them, at least to those who are shippers of fruit. We nuderst.and tho latter part of our message to mean rhat the fruit had better not bo packed in chaff. This will bo smo to be rend by our friends whoso fruit we

shipped per Victoria, and those who then pnoUed in chaff will do well to heed the warning. We found when in Melbourne hist week that the shipment of apples to London from Tasmania was attracting considerable attention. (Witness the notice in the Age that " we in securing the available space in cool chambers of the Home going ships," etc., etc.) We have arranged with the manager of Renter's agency in Melbourne to send him copic3 of our cable messages re fruit as often as we receive them, and in return he has promised to wire us any special news on the same subject as often as he receives any. All this with yourpermission we sh;ill place before your readers. It will be of inteiTst to shippers to know that the fruit which leaves Hobart next week will go in tho splendid new boat of tho Tasmania Steam Navigation Co,, which arrived this day, the Oonnh on her maiden intereelonial voyage, and from Melbourne in the magnificent steamer Oeeana, which also makes her first homeward voyage, leaving Melbourne on the 4th May. There will be close on 14,000 cases of fruit goinsr, and if the season turns out success, then there will be a very much larger quantity next yraar. New Wharf, April 21, ISSB.— (From the Hobart Mercury, -23rd April, 1SS8).