PROSPECTS FOR THIS YEAR’S FRUIT CROPS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 73, 7 December 1949, Page 5

PROSPECTS FOR THIS YEAR’S FRUIT CROPS

A heavier apple crop than last season’s, considerably fewer pears, and much reduced quantities of all stone fruits except cherries are predicted in the latest estimates of pip and stone fruit production for 'the 1949/50 season, contained in a statement released by the Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture. Last season’s crop of pip and stone fruits in total was nearly a quarter of a million bushels above the average for the six years which the Division takes as a basis. This season’s is expected to be 180,000 bushels above that average.

Earlier this season a full blossoming gave promise of a very good crop of'> all fruits, but some districts received untimely visits by frost and hail, with the result that some crops will be disappointing. For example early-spring frosts had h disastrous effect in Hawkes Bay, particularly on stone fruits, ‘and later severe hailstorms which swept parts of Central Otago and Hawkes Bay affected several crops, an estimated 100,000 bushels of Hawkes Bay apples being damaged by hail. Canterbury, Marlborough, and to a less extent "Nelson also suffered frost losses .

In some instances only parts of a district were affected by hail or frost, with the result that prospects for apples and pears remain fairly good, and heavy losses of stone fruit in some districts are balanced to some extent by large crops in others. With the exception of cherries, stone fruit yfelds are likely tp show more effect of the damage than pip fruit crops. ' / These latest estimates give, a more reliable picture of prospects than •U as possible earlier in the season, but the effect of late frosts may still be evident in dropping of fruit after it had appeared to set. The weather between now and harvesting time can also influence the yield. Timely rains increase the size of the fruit to such an extent that a crop which appeared light may be much heavier than was expected, and a prolonged drought often causes a potentially heavy crop to fill fewer cases because of the greatly reduced size of the fruit. Keeping quality is also affected by rainfall.