THE FRUIT CROP

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 202, 15 May 1918, Page 8

THE FRUIT CROP

A GENERAL REVIEW. Officers of tho Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture report f.s follow regardiiij; tho condition of tli l * l'ruit crop at the end of April, 191S-. — ' North Auckland,—Apples: Nearly finished. Lemons: Good average. Oranges: Sweet, goud average; Poonn.in, heavy to medium. The month has been very wet, and cold weather has bceu experienced. The. reason has practically finished, and winter work will soon have to be commeneed. Waitemata.—Apples: Yates, Dougherty, Commerce, and Etowah only loft in orchards. l.oinons: Average. Oranges: Tool-man, medium to heavy. Autumn has set in with very wot weather. Practically all tho fruit is now off. Pruning will [ioon bo commenced. Generally speaking the applo crop has been heavy, peai'9 light to medium, and peaches medium. Auckland South—Season practically ended. Fair quantities apples and pears placed in cool utoros. Trees generally have made good growth during season, and at present are looking well, stone fruit especially showing profusion of l'ruit buds. Waikato.—Ai.p'cs: Late varieties now being gathered. Lemons: Picking has commenced in few cases. Crops appear to he rather patchy. The weather conditions during April have been of a showery nature, and in consequence many of tho trees, both stono and pip, are showing a good deal of bloom, which must inevitably' affect tho next season's crop; . Poverty Bay—Little now lemains but a few lata apples. Crops have proved good and are finding a ready sale. Lemons: Should he a good crop. Verrucosis is very general in the jwrthorn part of the district, hut little or none in Poverty. Bay. Oranges: Sweet and preserving are both below average crop this year.. Hawkc's Bay.—Apples: Lato varieties very heavy. Lemons: Good. Walnuts: Harvesting good crop. Wanganui.—Apples: Considerable damago caused by heavy wind last month, in some cases stripping all the fruit otf and the majority of fruit spurs, etc., in a few instances blew tho fruit trees over, also caused shelter belts to be partially destroyed. Pears also suffered from gale. Pear scab prevalent in some parts of the district. Tomatoes: Harvesting over. A frost about middle of the month blackened the last few fruits and cut the plants off. Palmerston North.—Apples: Heavy, autumn.crop picked. Pears: Been heavy crop; all harvested. Tomatoes: Few Into still being sold: flavourless. Most of autumn and oarly winter crop been harvested. Prices for local-grown fruit poor. Local-grown fruit as a rule appears on market in old cases, benzine boxes, etc.; growers do not take the trouble to grade or pack. Fruit coming into market clean and free from disoase. "Wellington—Apples: Almost ovel '- Growers report a good season. Pears: Over. Heavy crop reported. Tomatoes: Nearly' over. Growers have ha<l an exceptionally profitable coason. Nelson.—Apples: The month has been rather wet for the season, and autumn infection of black spot on apples has occurred in a few places. Tho condition of the crop generally is good. A considerable quantity oti late crop still remains to be gathered. Lemons': A good crop maturing. Pears: Harvesting nearly 1 completed. Strawberries: A few berries still being gathered. Marlborough.—The apple crop has now practically all been picked with the exception of Dougherty, Horn, \ates, Hokewood, and a few Stunners. On the whole crops panning out well. Like other districts the heavy rains of February and March (especially the former} caused eome of the earlier varieties to go ott rather more rapidly tha(i usual. Walnuts aro in very great demand at excellent ' Canterbury and West Coast. Apples: Pair to giiod crop. Pea.'S: Medium crop. Tomatoes: Fair to good crop. .Walnuts: Medium cron. The weather conditions during the month have been moderately "ood. Orchardists have been busy liarbesting their fruit. There are only a few of tho late varieties of apples and pears now to harvest. There are still a quantilv of outdoor tomatoes coining on tno market, but will not continue much longer, as tho last night or two trosts have been fairly severe. Christchurch and West Coast. -Apples: Lato varieties mostly good. Pears: Late varieties turning out well. Tomatoes: Poor. Black spot bad. Walnuts: Good crop. Disease prevalent. Iho late apples ere turning out well. Sturmers are practically the only variety left to harvest. There is a good crop of lato pearsEaster Beurre, i Inconnue, Winter Nelis —and the harvesting of these varieties is in full swing. Black spot has been bad all through tho season. Owing to tho black rot the tomato crop has been very light; many patches have been pulled out and burnt when only half the crop was harvested. „ , South Canterbury—All fruit except a few of tho late varieties ot apples and pears are now harvested. Oil the ni„ht of the 19th" a very heavy frost ■ was experienced, and late crops ot tomatoes have suffered. . . , Otago—Apples: Main crop being picked. Strawberries: Now beds being^planted. Wintry conditions and frosw now prevailing.