FRUIT REPORTS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 126, 14 February 1918, Page 8

FRUIT REPORTS

BROWN ROT AND BLACK SPOT PREVALENT Officers of the Horticulture Division of tho Department of Agriculture report as follows regarding the conditions of tho fruit crop at the cud of January:— North Auckland.—Apples: lp to average. Lemons: Average set. Nectarines: Very light—nearly finished. Poaches: Average (mid-sensou now coming in). Pears: Mid-season and late, average. Plums: Light. Plums (Japanese): Avorage—nearly finished. Toihatoes: Heavy crop outdoor. Oranges: "Sweot" —average; "Poor' man" —heavy.. There has been a noticeablo increase in infection by brown i-oton peaches, nectarines, and plums; but this, however, is much less in evidenco at this time than at the corresponding period of last year. Strawberries are done, and nectarines also are nearly finished.

Waikato.—Apples: Rather better than anticipated. C'odlin moth has increased. Apricots: Very few. Lemons : Everything pointing to a good season. Nectarines: Light; now ripening freely. Peaches: Later crops fairly good; ripe rot iu evidence. Pears: Average crops; now gathering; spot again in evidence. Plums: Only fair. Plums (Japanese): Have becii fairly heavy. Tomatoes: Now coming in; a fair amount of blight and cate£ pillar. Prices good.

Poverty Bay.—Apples: Good crop. Black spot fairly prevalent on Dougherty. Lemons: Expect early heavy crop. Verrucosi general, but slight nt Auckland. Nectarines: Crop up to expectations. Ripe rot not so general as last year. Peaches: Light crop. Eipo rot not so general as last year. Pears': -Good crop. Black spot, light only. Plums: Medium. 'Silver blight responsible for kiss of a number of trees'. Plums (Japanese): Has been heavy crop, few now remain except Satsuma. Tomatoes: Good crop. Humid weather conditions against them. Walnuts: Light. Less baoteriosis than usual. Hawke's Bay.—Apples: Good crop; better than previous year. Nectarines: Heavy; suffered much .vith brown rot. Peaches: Now picking fairly well. Pears: Good medium crop; difficult season with black spot. Plums: Poor; main crop now harvested. Plums (Japanese): Practically all harvested. Raspberries: Very fair crop, now harvesting. Strawberries: Second crop about finished. Tomatoes: Very poor indeed ; disease very prevalent. Walnuts: Heavy. Wanganui— Apples: Heavy crops, Apricots: Medium. Lemons: Good. Nectarines: Medium, ripe vot causing considerable damage to stone fruit. Peaches: Light, ripe rot causing considerable damage to stone fruit. Pears: Good. Plums: Light. Raspberries: Good. Strawberries: Good. Tomatoes: Light; tomato Wight very prevalent this season. Walnuts: Light.

Palmerston North.—Apples: Heavy. Nectarines: Medium. Peaches; Light. Pears: Light (medium in Wairarapa). Tomatoes: Badly affected with blight in some areas. Walnuts: Troubled with bncteriosis. In Wairarapa, black itpot has caused a lot of trouble among apples and pears. Codlin very active in neglected orchards. Pears are showing well in Wairarapa. AVot month. Nelson.—The bright, hot weather, with occasional summer showers, experienced during the month has suited the apple crop." Apricots and cherries have been harvested. The gooseberry hushes are. in fair condition; more spraying is required if the best results nro to be obtained. Lemon crops are good on trees receiving attention. Nectarine and peach trees generally have impibved very buch. Small crops of good quality are being gathered. A moderate crop of pears is maturing well. Plums (European): Moderate crops are being harvested. "There is a marked difference, where the trees-have received proper spraying. Plums (Japanese): Crop about gathered ; where crops are thinned and trees Rpr'ared. a fine, well-flavoured sample has been harvested. Raspberries: An unusually fine crop being gathered. Strawberries: The strawberry cropping season closed prematurely owing to the rather dry spring. Tomatoes: Good averaae crops being gathered. Marlborough—Apples: Nothing further to report regarding crop than given last month. There appears every likelihood of co-operative marketing here this season. Codlin moth is very prevalent in small orchards that have not received prooer attention. Apricots: A fairly good crop has been marketed, and growers are feeling the benefit of the local jam factory which lias been started. Nectarines: Just commencing to reach the market and generally of good quality. Peaches: Coming' in in increasing quantities. Pears:~Fair. Plums (Japanese):. Good. Tomatoes: Good. Walnuts: Good. Canterbury and West Coast—Annies: Fair to food crop. Anrieots: Good <rop. Nectarines: Medium crop. Peaches: Medium crop. Pears: Medium crop. Plums: Fair to good crop. Plums (Japanese): Fair to good crop. Raspberries: Good crop. Strawberries: Fair crop. Tomatoe=: Good croo. Walnuts: Fair crop. For the past month the weather conditions have continued to bo very erratic, wind, rain, and sunshine intermixed makinq it very tlif-' ficult to carry out successful sprnyinf. Conseonentlv fungoid diseases especially are rather prevalent. Walnuts, which looked well in the early season, aro beginning to blight badly. Outside tomatoes are coming in very slowly.

Christchurch and Suburbs.—Apples: Medium to pood. Apricots: Fair to fzood. Nectarines: Medium. Peaches: Fair to trood. Pears: Poor to medium. Plums: Very heavy crop. Plums (Japanesol: Very heavy crop. Raspberries: Good. Tomatoes: Hothouse, good; outdoor, fair. AValnuts: Good. Owing to the very wet season black spot is very prevalent. Outside tomatoes are very slow in coming forward, practically none being on the market yet. South Canterbury.—Apples: Looking well. Apricots: Poor. Nectarines: Scarce. Peaches: Scarce. Pears: Very light, scab prevalent. Plums: Good. Plums (Japanese): Good. Raspberries: Much loss through moist conditions at .picking time. Tomatoes: Hothouse— 'Buffering from cladosporium fnlvum; outdoor—looking well Walnuts: Fino crop. January has been on the whole a fine month. Very hot and humid conditions necessitated a constant watch being kept for successful control of fungoid disease. The middle of the month witnessed the first appearance of phytophthora- infestans, which quickly spread and caused much damage to late crops. Otago.—Apples: Black spot fairly bad; made first appearance in Roxburgh and Coal Crock Mat this season. Apricots: Early varieties over,; good crop of Moorparks being nicked. Nectarines: Late varieties comine; on well. Peaches: Early varieties finishfed, Wiggins being picked. Muir's and other late varieties looking well. Pears: Looking well. Plums: Being harvested. Plums (Japanese): Being harvested. Tomatoes: Beiue harvested. Walnuts: Good icrops, looking well. Southland.—Apples: Light crop, damaged by hail. Pears: Average crop, damaged by hail. Poor quality. Plums' Light cron. Shot hole fi'7i<»us prevalent. Rasnberrios; good c-op, slightly damaged by hail. Tomatoes: Good crop indoors: late ripening. Black spot prevalent. In these war days when the demand for steel ifl so heavy, it is difficult to obtain sufficient for New Zealand nee. j\s regards factory milk-cans, orders can he executed strictly in -oration, by A. J. Parton, Dairy Engineer, etc., Pembroke Street, Carterton.—Advt.