NELSON NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 28, 3 February 1932, Page 5

NELSON NEWS

PROSPECTS FOR CROPS

HEAVY ORCHARD YIELD

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

NELSON, 2nd February.

The weather was fine for Nelson's ninetieth anniversary' holiday yesterday,' but in the evening light showers fell. All holiday resorts were well patronised, and cricket and tennis matches were played. The Golden Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Association held! a most successful show at Takaka. ",-•'■ ■ While walking on "Wakefield quay, Mr M. Whiteside was knocked down by a car driven by Mr. F. Snodgrasa. He received ecalp wounds and injuries to his knees. ''#. collision at Wakapuaka between' a car driven by Mr. E. C. Cummings and a motor-cycle driven by Mr. K. Orr resulted in the latter being admitted to hospital with knee injuries,, which are not considered to be serious.- '■ •■■■■.' The Customs revenue collected at Port Kelson durifig January totalled £3736,' as compared with .£2122 for the corresponding month of 1931. The excise beer duty amounted to £1056,' as ' against • £IMS.' Arising out of '. a complaint regarding •Hie cooking 'of food at the single unemployed men's camp on the Rai- Saddle, the men stopped workVafter a.complaint laid before the foreman had been ineffective. The men concerned wrote to the Public Works Department -at Nelson, and as a result the difference has been satisfactorily adjus£<sfo'--and the men : have resumed work." ' ■•.:;•.■.•; '. ".'■■' , This week the Waimea. Cricket Association- will defend the Newman Shield for the first time thjs season, in a- ma-tea egainst Motueka.-:' The teams selected are as follows:—Waimea: R. Dayies (captain), C.; Shuttleworth, M. Jenkins, R. Knapp, Mv B. Eden, V. Hawkea, M. Hawkes, A. Giblin, W. Haslen, K. Lines, and P-jMax. Motueka: E. Ryder (captain), H. Smith, J. R. Clark, O. Eggers, R. Stevens^R. Fowler, L. Heath, N. Holyoake, G. Talbot, V. Sixtus, and V. Krammer. _ harvesting operations in the Waimea Plain and in other parts of the district are so far advanced that farmers are able to estimate fairly accurately what will be their return, and in. the case of early crop's the prospects* are not bright. .Except in a few favoured localities the crops are poor. Drought conditions prevailed for three months prior to December, and then a third of the year's rainfall "fell in one week. The result was poor development of early crops, and in many cases the drowning of later ones. Early threshings o£ wheat have yielded poorly generally, and early.pea- and oat threshings have been little better. However, the lot o£ the dairy farmer hag improved considerably, for there js now an abundance_o£ green feed, and "the countryside, which is -usually very parched at this tune ot the year is green and fresh. As crops ot hay were poor, the strong autumn growth should help many through: the winter. Tfie tomato crop has been heavy, but.tne returns to the growers have been abnormally low.: , v, '. ~_ ■ i-i. This year has seen a difference in tne times of the tobacco maturing. The harvesting of early-planted crops has already begun, but. the later crops are_ yet not very much above a foot in height, trtnerally the tobacco bears a healthy appearance, and as in the past years it should make a good return to the grower. The apple crop promises to be heavy, and as usual the hops wiir more than supply the demand for them. Many travelling unemployed have flocked s into the district in the last few weeks^exftecttiijK to .find employraent-en-the orchards, but usually growers employ_ the.same.people year after year, and it is difficult- for extra labour to be placed. Moreover, fruit harvesting is more or less^sWled work', and growers "aVoid "tiew chums" ~K possible, as inexperienced personß can do inestimable damage to the following year s raon. ■ ■ i ' • : • ' ■