THE STRAWBERRY INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1949, 5 January 1914, Page 6

THE STRAWBERRY INDUSTRY.

'A. GOOD SEASON. Tho present strawberry season has been one of tho best of recent years. Tho Auckland season averages 'about ten weeks —from the beginning of November to tho second week in 'January. This year, however, it began a litfln earlier, and is now about at its close. The largo amount of rain experienced has had the effect of producing an increased quantity of fruit. In some cases there has-, .been an excess, which has led to waste. _ Tho last few days of hot sun havo ripened practically all the remaining fruit, and the last Jpickings are- now being carried on, Thero is always a certain residue of fruit, which is subsequently sold for purjos.es of jam-making. Tho prices ruling of late have not been as a whole satisfactory to tho growers. The expenses of planting, manuring, and mulching are iargo, and in order to mako a profit the grower expects to get more than sixpence per chip. To obtain a satisfactory return for his outlay (says a- writer in an exchange), tho strawberry grower wants tho prices to rule as high as tenpe'nee or a shilling per chip, but. as tho supply has been in excess of tho demand lately, the prices havo been correspondingly low.

But as a whole, more, especially at. tho beginning of the season, A-uolcland growers havo done well, and the 191:1 season will bo looked back upon with satisfaction by those engaged in-thc~in-dustry of strawberry-growing, ■ ya 5 ,;: