FRUIT CROP.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1373, 26 February 1912, Page 8

FRUIT CROP.

THE DEPABTMENTAIi REPORTS. Reports received by the Director of Orchards of the Agricultural Department from hi-; field officers give the Mlowjng particulars of the condition of the fruit crops up to the end of January:— Wangamii.—Apples, a full crop, but slow maturing; pears, fair crop, but backward; peaches, fair to poor; apricots, a poor crop; plums, a heavy crop except jjiiropenn varieties; trees are now making up growth lost owing to bad weather in early summer. Potato-blight prevalent; other vegetables pvomisu satisfactory results. ■ _ . Palmerston North. —During the past month the weather has been much better fpr fruit crops. Peaches, earliest varieties, nearly over; nectarines, nearly ready for picking; apples, little better than first anticipated; pears, showing well, most growers being satisfied with crop. There is very little black-spot about, but loecii is doing considerable damage in parts. Growers are busy spraying for codlin-nioth. Earliest, varieties of apples —Irish Peach, lied Astrachan, and Gravenstein—are being sold in shops. Hastings.—The . orchards throughout district nre looking well, except some young orchards planted last -enson, which have suffered from wind and drought, especially where shelter is lacking. Through the dry weather and insufficient thinning, sumo of the fruit is rather smaller than usual, otherwise the fruit season up tu the present has been good. The prospects ahead are excellent; apples and pears are in abundance everywhere. Hlnnheini.—Apples, good; pears, good; peaches, good; plums, good; apricots, only medium, and are finding a ready demand locally; Japanese plums, good crops, especially Burbanks; tomatoes, a fair average crop; glasshouse tomatoes, a failcrop, but nearly all done. Vegetables of all kinds are plentiful; potatoes are looking -well, and no. blight, yd observed. Nelson.—Tho weather is keeping warm, and the crops are coining on well. Raspberries, apricots, and peaches are ripening freely. The early varieties of npplps and pears are being sold, but black-spot is prevalent. I*;) l» the present littlo molli has appeared, but is showing morn rapidly now. Tomatoes arc now ripening up. TJip supply of vegetables i> well maintained.

Fortune awaits the Dairy Fanner who throws old-fashioned methods nfido and adopts modern money-saving contrivances. Any sensible farmer knows lint cooled milk is far and away superior fci milk that is allowrd lo con! il-elf. Tho former -(..cures bigei'r money than the Itittpr. Cool your milk in one of our copper coolers, which nre 21 inches wide and have 4ft. ctol : iii •.url'iri'. Price, .'Hs.-niid cheap a! (lint. Albert .1. Parton, Ciirterloii.—Advl.

A strangely-inarkml Wnokbinl lins bciyi cnptmed nt Hillingborou!;)!, lJiicoln.-liire. Its head is nlmo=t while, while llie wings and some parts of its bark arc profusely flocked with the. same coloui,