THE FRUIT CROP

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 68, 13 December 1917, Page 8

THE FRUIT CROP

SEASON'S PROSPECTS

Officers of the Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture report as fojlow regarding the conditions of the fruit crop at the end of November:—

Hawke's Bay.—Apples: On the whole a good crop, but not heavy. Apricots: A good crop being harvested. Gooseberries : Light crop. Nectarines: Heavy crop. Peaches: Generally speaking light; mid-season peaches are perhaps the best. Pears: Fallen very heavily; now only medium crop. Plums: Light crop. Plums (Japanese): Good; about average. Raspberries: So far not promising too well. Strawberries: Good crop. Tomatoes: Good crop in glasshouses; outdoor crops look well. Walnuts : Good crop. Wanganui.—Apples: Heavy crops; spraying with arsenate of lead in full swing. Powdery mildew prevalent this season. Apricots: Medium crop. Cherries: Good crop. Gooseberries: Average crop. Harvesting practically over. Lemons: A good average maintained. Nectarines: Medium crop, "silver blight" prevalent. Peaches: Light crop; "silver blight" prevalent. Pears: Heavy crop; in some parts of the district "pear scab" showing badly. Plums: Light crop. Plums (.Japanese): Prospects varied. Raspberries: Good crop. Strawberries: Good crop. First crop good, second crop being gathered. Tomatoes: Making good growth. Where spraying has been neglected blight is showing badly. ' Nelson.—The apple crop is maturing well in most districts; in others "black spot" is giving 6omo trouble. Apricots: Such crop as there is is making good progress. Cherries: A fair crop is being gathered. Gooseberries: A satisfactory crop is being gathered. Lemons: The prospects are good. Nectarines and Peaches: A small crop, maturing well. Pears: A fair crop, making good progress. Plums: Quite a moderate crop, maturing well. Raspberries and Strawberries: Good crops in sight. _ Strawberrv picking commenced early in tho month. Tomatoes: Picking the inside crop commenced about the middle of the month. The plants aie looking well. Marlborough.—Apples: Variable, but*! generally good. Apricots: Medium. Cherries: Have been good. Gooseberries: Good. Nectarines: Good. Peaches: Good. Pears: Fairly good. Plums: Fairly good. Tomatoes: Indoor good. Walnuts: Heavy. Canterbury and West Coast.— Apples: Fair to good crop. Apricots: Go'od crop. Cherries: Good crop. Gooseberries: Good crop. Lemons: Very few grown. Nectarines: Fair .crop. Peaches: Fair crop. Pears: Medium crop. Plums: Fair crop. Plums (Japanese): Good crop. Raspberries : Good crop. Strawberries : Fair crop, Tomatoes: Good crop. Walnuts: Appearance good. , Apples: Sturmcr, heavy set; Lord Wdlseley inclined to be light; other varieties fair. Pears: Bloomed very heavily, but dropped badly. Peaches: Early varieties, light; mid-season and late, good crop. There is still a fair quantity of apples in the local cool , stores. These are now being got out as fast as possible.

Christchurch and Suburbs.—Apples: Medium to light crops. Apricots: fair. Cherries: Good. Gooseberries: Good. Nectarines: Fair only. Peaches: Fair. Pears: Medium. Plums: Very heavy crop. Plums (Japanese) : Very heavy, crop. Raspberries: Faiv. Strawberries:' Fair. Tomatoes: Good. Walnuts: Good promise. Since last, month the prospects for a good apple crop have changed, the fruit having fallen very badly after setting, and in most orchards the crop will be a light one. All plums have set very heavy. There have been two or three liglit frosts during the month, but they have done very little damage. Green and black aphis are very plentiful, and doing considerable damage. South Can Lerbury.—Apples: Good setting. Apricots: Medium. Cherries: Poor. - Gooseberries: Fair. Nectarines: Very poor. Peaches: Very .poor. Pears: Good, North Otago; very poor South Canterbury. Plums: Good. Plums' (Japanese): Heavy. Raspberries: Poor. Strawberries: Poor. Tomatoes: Very good. Black spot throughout the district is severe. Cherries which promised fair crop have ■ been attacked with black spot (fusicladium cerasi), and more than half the crop dropped off before maturity. The remainder are badly spotted. Pears are bad excepting in North Otago, where some clean, heavy cr<jps have been recorded.

Otago.—Apples: Lo.oking well. Apricots: Looking well. Cherries-: Early varieties being picked. Gooseberries: Doing well. Lemons: Not Crown. Pcache? and 'Nectarincs: Crops looking well; peach curl greatly in evidence. _ Pears: Looking well. Plums: Looking well. Plums (Japanese) :_Looki»g well. Raspberries: Good promise. Strawberries: First of season marketed on November 9, 1917 realised 4s. 2d. per pottle. Supplies now coming forward. Walnuts: In

good condition. Tomatoes; In good condition. Southland.—Apples:' Light crop; poivdory mildow and black spot prevalent. Gooseberries: Heavy crop. Pears: Averago crop, looking well. Plums: Short crop, looking well. Raspberries: Setting well, every indication of a heavy crop. Tomatoes: Under glass setting well, heavy crop expected. . Palmerston North—Apples: Heavy to medium. Apricots: Light; shothole fungus prevalent. Cherries: Fair to medium; brown rot prevalent. Nectarines: Light to medium. Peaches: Light. Pears: Eight. Plums: Heavy. Plums (Japanese): Heavy. Generally the crop is going to be lighter than at first anticipated, as the season was unfavourable at the time of setting. Brown rot in cherries and plums is causing a lot of trouble, although it has been readily cheeked where growers have followed up the spraying. Wellington.—Apples: Very satisfactory ; not much disease showing. Apricots : Not grown' much; no crop promised.' Cherries: Not grown much. Gooseberries: A very good crop. Lemons: Not grown. Peaches and Nectarines: Leaf curl rather bad: prospects poor. Pears: Promise of a good crop; black spot prevalent. Plums: Patchy, but should give a fair average crop. Tomatoes: Fairly free from disease; looking-well.