ALMOST EXHAUSTED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20091, 10 November 1939, Page 8

ALMOST EXHAUSTED

OLD POTATO SUPPLIES

NEW CROPS FILL NEEDS

NEXT SEASON’S PROSPECTS

Stocks of old potatoes are now almost exhausted, blit the new crops are beginning to fill the demand in Gisborne. At present, supplies from local sources arc not very great, but they are increasing rapidly, and wifhin a few weeks retailers should be independent of the small remaining stocks of last season's crops.

So far as the first part of the season is concerned, there should be no difficulty over supplies from local sources, owing to the greatly increased area under crop, as well as the larger number of back-door plots, As a result, Gisborne should not require to cal] on the South Island supplies so early during the coming year.

However, whether there will be an increased crop in the South Island is uncertain at present. A message from Christchurch states that the Government Statistician’s estimate of the size of the 1939-40 crop, at 19,800 acres, shows an increase on the actual area sown in 1938-39 of approximately 1800 acres, but it is well below the average of the last seven years.

The official estimate of the 1938-39 crop gazetted in December, 1938, was 20,000 acres, or 2000 acres more than was actually sown, Allowing a similar margin either above or below the estimate, the 1939-40 crop will still be below’ the average of recent years, as the following table shows: —1938-39, 18.032 acres; 1937-38, 23.090: 1936-37. 22,462; 1935-36, 22,958; 1934-35, 23,001; 1933-34, 25,028; 1932-33, 24,605.

Besides the comparatively small acreage there is a possibility of a smaller yield next year because of the use of inferior seed encouraged by record prices ruling this last season, but against that it is reasonable to suppose that there will be more extensive sowing by householders.