Try Modern Methods

Cook Is. Orchardists

Mr. Morris Baker, Cook Is.

Director of Agriculture, tells in I recent South Pacific Commission bulletin, of the gradual education of the Cook Islands citrus growers to modern methods.

I Because, in years gone by, the Cl )range crop was a heavy one without nvolving cultivation or special plant ng methods to produce it, many of he islanders would not accept the dea that this should not still be the iase, says Mr. Baker. Gradual failure of the crop was iccounted for by the people as due d some poison in the soil, and not hrough the soil being worked out trough years of overplanting with ut the use of cultivation or fertil lers.

But Administration plantings have radually convinced the people of le efficacy of modern agricultural lethods until to-day the Department I receiving constant requests for irther extension of the Administra on-assisted plantings.

The orange now receiving most at mtion is a local strain known as arotonga Seedless. Its existence as discovered by the Department hen it was found that men travelled ) into the mountains to obtain this irticular fruit for the making of )ush beer, rather than use the eded varieties close at hand which volved much straining.