THE FRUIT CROP

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 174, 12 April 1918, Page 10

THE FRUIT CROP

PRESENT POSITION REVIEWED

TOLL OF DISEASE Officers of the Horticulture Division of the .Department of Agriculture report as follows regarding the conditions of the fruit crop at, the end of March, 1918:— ' North Auckland.-rApples: Late varieties only left. Lemons: Average good set, :.. Late varieties now being marketed., Tomatoes: Light supply maintained, hut nearly finished. Oranges: Sweet: Average good; Poorman: medium to heavy. Changeable conditions have ruled with heavy rains at intervals, and much wind. Late varieties of apples and pears are now coming down in big quantities. A cyclonic storm from N.E., N., andN.W. struck the northern districts, on the night of March 18, and throughout the 19th, accompanied by heavy rain. This was the heaviest blow experienced in Auckland for many years, and considerable damage was done to orchards in the district. AVaitemata. —Apples: late varieties , now being harvested. Lemons: Good average. Pears: Only late varieties remaining; a light crop generally. Tomatoes : Still coming forward in light supply. Oranges: Poormari: Medium to heavy. Typical autumn weather with very high' winds aud heavy rains lir's been experienced. Tho heaviest blow experienced in this district for many years struck Auckland on March 18 an'd 19, and blowing from N.E., N., and N.W., reached cyclonic .force, and caused considerable damage, both to crops and orchards generally throughout the district. . Pears are nearly finished, and a fair quantity are being placed in cool storage. There is considerable infection from Glomerelln and bitter pit in the late varieties of apples.

Auckland' South.—All stone fruit practically over, have paid fairly heavy toll through brown rot. Apples and pears have felt tile combined effects of two heavy gales within a-month, losing quite 20 per cent, altogether.- Lemons growing and bearing freely, but grey scab and .verrucosis still too prominent. .Tomatoes practically finished; good average- crops. •; • ' : : Waikatq.—Apples: Mid-season varieties now being gathered. Storm brought down a good many, especially tho heavier varieties. Lemons: Looking well with but few exceptions. Peaches: Almost finished. Pears: Mostly gathered, a good many came down with the storm. Tomatoes:i Have turned out well.

; Poverty Bay.—There is still a good I crop of late apples, although the gales during -the month have caused the loss ; of at least one-third of the crop. There W. v is , a noticeable amount of brown rot, in the softer, varieties, and I litsch decay due to tree injury. Only -~. __-i 'few late pears now remain, the crops i' "" of which are light.;. .Walnuts havo j \ proved a medium crop, but large quan-' tities have been lost from tho attacks of bacteriosis. The citrus crops are pro- ■ ■ raising well in the Poverty Bay pori . tion.of the district, but much grey scab and Iverrucosis around Auckland. Hawke's Bay.—Apples: Dougherty iind'Stunners heavy, other varieties good. Lemons: Promise well. Peaches: Crops harvested. Pears: P. Barry and Winter Cole very good, other vari--1 ' eties very fair. "Walnuts: Good. ; Wanganui.—Apples: Heavy crops, ; considerable damage caused by recent ; (rales.. Lemons: Good average crops. i -Peaches: A few late varieties being ; gathered. Pears: Good crop. Pear scab;prevalent in some parts of the dis- { trkt. Considerable damage, enused by recent gales. Tomatoes: Light. Harvesting of fruit will soon be over, Walnuts: Light. Black spot prevalent. .Palmerston North.—Apples: Heavy, \ early and mid-autumn coming in. ; Pears: Heavy, mostly harvested.. Tomatoes: Coming in in quantity; mc- ;. (Hum, crop. Walnuts: Few grown in ■ this locality. So far, fruit .coming in to market in good order and free from disease. Heavy gales have- caused a' considerable loss to growers; the growers in the Wairarapa suffering heavy loss,,up to as much.as.3o.per cent. ' Nelson This crop, suffered ""- from" the wind and storm experienced : : towards the end of the month. In some areas the loss from falling was severe. Lemons: A good crop is niaturing well. Peaches: Gathering was completed this month with .the Solivays; some very nice Samples were picked. Pears: A fairicrop in choice; condition is being gath/red. Plums:The season has closed with some good crops: of Coe's Late Red: Strawberries: A few-late berries are being picked. ;:Tomatoes: The season has nrao>r-~ tically closed. There is very little : crop;ahout now. Marlborough.—Apples:,, Now in the thick-" of the picking and'■ packing seaBon.;-. Cox's hare, proved, a fair crop. ■ .(Dunnes Favourite generally very light. ; Jonathan good crop. Delicious very good- in crop and quality. Stunner licavy. Dougherty good'. Walnuts: Set a heavy crop, but badly affected : . with;bacteriosis. Canterbury and West Coast.—Ap- , pies: Fair Jo good crop. Peaches: Medium crop. Pears: Medium crop. v Plums: Fair to good. Tomatoes: Fair ' to good crop. Walnuts: Medium crop. ■ Durijip the last month the weather was ; somewhat stormy, a fair quantity ofr' fruit;'being blown off with the high i winds. Orchardists are now very busy harvesting their apples and pears. ' : 'Fungoid diseases are still sprending, playing great havoc, especially with the potatoes and tomatoes. ' Tomatoes , !iave ; never been known to bo so badly ■' attacked with disease, previously, iii ' Canterbury. ' ' ' i Christchurdi and Suburbs.— Apnles : U (Medium to good. Nectarines: Fair. Peaches: Fair to good. Pears: Me- ; ' (lium. Plums: Heavy crop. Tonin- ■ toes: Poor,'blight, bad.. , Walnuts: Good. Stunners very good crop, Cox's : good, Wolseleys poor. Pears in somo orchards have a very heavy crop, others : only fair. Black spot is bud ivhcre the spring spraying was neglected or applied late. High wiuds havo done a good deal of damage. Large quantities of prime fruit have been damaged. Tho tomato.crops are- suffering badly : from diseiise, and the continued brok- ' en weather is helping tho spread of it. South Canterbury.—Apples: Good supply. Peaches: Very searcu. Pears: ■J'.'iir supply. Tomatoes: Good crop. iWalnuts: Good crop. Whore tomato plots have been sprayed excellent results havo been obtained. Otago.—Apples: Codlin moth fairly bad, mostly result of insufficient spraying. Peaches: Few la to varieties still being picked. Pears: Same romance as applied to apples. Plums: Some Tarieties still picking. Tomatoes: Still picking. Witlnuts: Looking well. The disease of ripo rot made its first appearance among the fruit crops of Otago this season, and has enused sonic : consternation. ' , Southland—Apples: Light, crop, much .damaged by hail. Black spot ■ prevalent on mostly sill varieties. ■Pears; Average <srop. Disease prevalent on early varieties. Tomatoes: A few still on plants (green).