63

I.—Ba

75. Then, so far as Auckland is concerned your opinion is of no value ?—No. I have been at Napier and Wanganui and other places in the North Island, and if all the orchards are like what I saw there I do not think much of them. 76. You represent the Fruit-growers' Association? —Yes. 77. Did they ask you to come here and give evidence?—No, they did not do that. I rather put myself in the way of coming. Mr. Blackmore told me that Mr. Eitchie would like to have my opinion in writing, and I thought it would be better for me to come here and speak for myself. 78. Are you here to give evidence at Mr. Blackmore's request ?—Well, Mr. Blackmore wrote to me and said that Mr. Eitchie wished me to express my opinion in writing. I spoke to Mr. Wilding, the chairman of the Canterbury Fruit-growers' Association, and he thought it would be better to come up and then I could be heard. 79. Did he mention anything about expenses?— No. Mr. Ritchie explained that Mr. Sisson was practically a departmental witness. 80. Mr. Massey.] Do you know anything about the natural enemies of the moth? You say that the cuckoo is the natural enemy of the codlin-moth in England : do you know anything of the titmouse ?—No. 81. Have you heard anything of the kohlmeise, the German codlin-moth eating-bird ?—Only what I have read about it. Ido not know anything of it myself. Mr. L. B. Wilson, re-examined. 82. Mr. Wason.] You gave the Committee to understand yesterday that a large quantity of fruit was imported every year from other places into Canterbury, and that we did not grow sufficient fruit to meet our own requirements. It was understood that you referred chiefly .to apples and pears; would you explain what class of fruit you referred to?—I referred chiefly to soft fruits and stone fruits, to raspberries and blackcurrants, and to apricots and peaches. Of apples and pears we grow more than enough, as we export a lot to other places. 83. Hon. the Chairman.] Have you a knowledge of the amount of the fruit-supply into Canterbury from other places ?—No. 84. Mr. Wason.] Do not the apricots and peaches come chiefly from Teviot, in Central Otago ?— Yes, and Nelson. 85. And the blackcurrants?— They also come from Teviot, Nelson, and elsewhere. 86. Mr. Meredith.] Are you aware to what extent the fruit industry in the Canterbury district has advanced within the last five or six years? —I could not give you any figures. I know it has advanced a great deal. It has quite a different aspect now from what it had five years ago. 87. Am I to understand that the people are going into it with greater heart ? —Yes. 88. And are determined to make it a commercial success ?—Yes.

Thuksday, 18th August, 1898. Mr. Mills, M.H.E., examined. Mr. Mills : There is a paragraph in the written evidence of Mr. Cullen, of Cullensville, which reads thus: " The Member for Wairau went to the expense of sending a competent man from Blenheim toHavelock to spray his trees, and although the work was carried out most carefully, the result was abject failure." In reference to that I would wish to tell the Committee that I never sent any man from Blenheim. I did employ a man to spray my orchard in Havelock, but under no superintendence, and I really could not say whether he sprayed the identical tree Mr. Cullen referred to as having codlin-moth. That is all. I might add that from my experience of spraying I am perfectly satisfied it was efficacious, and had done a lot of good, and took much less time to do than I expected it would. 1. Mr. Massey.] Have you had much experience of fruit-growing?— Not a great deal. Mine is a private orchard. 2. What do you call a private orchard ?—An orchard of two hundred trees. 3. Was that your own property ?—Yes. 4. How long have you been fruit-growing ?—About twenty years. 5. How long since you first noticed the moth?— About seven or eight years. 6. You say you found spraying beneficial ? —Certainly. 7. Have you managed to get rid of the moth ?—-No; but a large proportion. I may tell the Committee I sprayed the trees myself one year, and the result was that I got about sixty per cent, of sound fruit from the orchard, whereas the year previous I did not get thirty per cent. That is my own private experience, and I sprayed the trees with Paris-green at intervals of about a fortnight or three weeks. 8. Mr. Lang.] You sprayed and got a certain proportion of sound fruit. How long ago is that ? —About four years. 9. And you have discontinued spraying ?—No ; I do not live in Havelock now and am not able to supervise the work, but I always employ some men there to spray the trees. 10. You have had the orchard sprayed ?—Yes. But my neighbour never sprays and there is only a hedge between us. 11. Have you any experience of fruit growing for market purposes ?—No. 12. You speak as an amateur ?—Yes. As a private owner. Mr. Monk, M.H.R., examined. Mr. Monk.] In the district I represent there are a considerable number of very valuable orchards. They are of great importance, as the owners make their livelihood out of them. And by these I have been desired to oppose legislation, that is the legislation which would make it imperative upon people