"BLACK SPOT."

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 29 May 1919, Page 3

"BLACK SPOT."

Do you know that on an average 150 cases of fruit are condemned every day in the week bar Sundays in the Auckland fruit markets ? The principal cause of the trouble this year is " black spot." Now it is a feature of this pest that it con fines its attacks to the very finest grades of fruit, the flavour and edible qualities of which ai*e not affected, although its appearance is. In other words it is only a Burf»ce blemish. But that is enough, and in the majority of cases it is % carted away to the destructor. Growers and the wholesale merchants domplain bitterly that while the orchard inspectors will often pass fruit as being O.K. thus allowing the grower to go to the trouble and exptnse of packing and consigning his apples or pears, etc., the market inspector will as frequently condemn the fruit at once on its arrival. And in that case the producer not only loses his fruit and its freight charges, but also has to pay the cost of destroying the case and contents.