Panmure gardens

[NZBC]

THEY ARE WIZARDS WHEN IT COMES TO GARDENING.—At this time of the year Chinese gardeners at Panmure are busy preparing for the spring crops on a grand scale. Top: Part of fifty acres of potatoes that will shortly be Auckland's dinner. Lower left: A quaint arrangement of smouldering sacking and fire crackers is guaranteed to give a headache to any bird that meddles with the crops. Lower right: This scene might be in China—but it isnt. A happy Panmure gardener watering part of his garden and evidently enjoying it. (See story below.)

tinyurl.com/bwqk63f Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 234, 4 October 1939, Page 5

[NZBC]

CHINESE KNOW.ALL ABOUT GARDENS.BIG SCALE MARKET SUPPLY.

BIRD FRIGHTENER.

Tftk« 125 acres or thereabouts, do some solid digging, throw in a few million seeds and when the right time of the year comes you will have a market garden. That is, of course, unless you have made a mistake somewhere, or the snails have been too thick, or you have attempted to grow the wrong things at the wrong time of year.

None of these little accidents appear to happen to Chinese market gardeners, however, as a visit to the gardens at Panmure revealed yesterday. This was backyard agriculture on the grand scale and the suburban soul was appalled at tlife sight of hundreds of acres tended much more neatly and intensively than .was thought possible.

These Chinese—for most of the gardens in this rich locality are farmed by them—know their business. Usually they lease their ground and form their own companies, working co-operatdvely. And they do work, too. In all sections of the gardens yesterday could be seen men working tirelessly, because as fast as one crop is out another crop must go in, and there is a continual seasonal rotation of produce. In addition there is hoeing, ploughing and the thousand and one things that must be done day in and day out. Scene of Activity. The Chinese gather few of their own crops. They prefer to have it done by contract —chiefly Maori labour. At one place called at yesterday a score of Chinese and Maoris were busy cutting and tying silver beet, which was being washed in huge troughs and-thrown into great wire baskets in preparation io:

market. There was a chatter of voices without any cessation of work, and the speed with which the operations were performed was amazing.

An elderly Chinese with the happiest and jblliest of faces was busy spraying a nearby section of ground. Wearing a straw hat, a rubber apron, gum boots and a seraphic expression, he said,. "You take my photo, eh?" And the photographer did so.

Alongside this good-natured Chinese was to be seen a quaint and efficient "scarecrow"—and one that could be used with benefit iby the average home gardener, if his neighbours would stand it. Several strips of a sacking material are plaited together, crackers being woven into the plait at short intervals. The lower end is lit and the weird arrangement is hung in the garden. As it smoulders slowly the crackers explode. Birds Don't Stop. Probably they have gelignite or dynamite or something tough in these crackers. Anyway, the noise they make is out of all proportion to their size and far outdoes the common type affected by small boys during the open season on Guy Fawkes. Any bird sitting alongside when they explode is guaranteed to make his first stop at the Sea of Okhotsk.

In the district there seemed to be! miles of potatoes, leeks, green peas,j Enfield market cabbages and earlyseason marrows—the latter all neatly boxed and supplied with glass coverings against the danger of frosts. The cauliflower season for the present crop is almost finished, and preparations are being made for the planting of beans on a large scale. A tremendous pile of sticks, ready for the time when the bean family is unable to support itself, is a landmark on one farm.

It was an interesting experieare to see at another place the miles of *en<vng ne<v«nry for the famous wonderherry now being cultivated, and the neatness with which the plants had been trained.

All amateur gardeners should pay a visit to the locality. After seeing what real gardeners know about the job they will probably return home and take up collecting stamps or match-box labels. Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 234, 4 October 1939, Page 5