AN UNWELCOME FROST

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 241, 13 October 1942, Page 2

AN UNWELCOME FROST

EARLY PRODUCE DAMAGED. BUSY NIGHT FOR GROWERS. Many household gardeners and some farmers with early potatoes had their hopes of early crops destroyed last night, when a sudden frost set in following south-easterly conditions during the afternoon. After only a, few points of rain hau f allen the weather cleared early in ihe evening-, and then followed a sharp drop in temperature. The frost gauging at the Wither Was 8.2 degrees, and 7 degrees were registered in town, this proving sufficient to blacken many patches of early potatoes which had been left unprotected The mortality was also' fairly high, apparently, amongst tomato plants, although in most cases, gardeners were abroad both late and early with covers and, hoses in a eounterattack against Jack Frost, The extent of damage amongst commercial orchards is not yet known, although with apples onlv in the flowering stage if is very unlikely that any harrn was caused. Had the freeze occurred a week later, however, it, might have been another story, for by then the fruit will be setting. The position with regard to stone fruit, however, is more sericus, and it is feared that crops of nectarines and peaches, which were reduced by as much as 90 per cent, in the case1 of earlier frosts, might again have been affected. One commercial tomato grower with 3000 plants set out made certain that his alarm clock was in working order before retiring for the night, and he was astir well before the sun rose to aid and abet the frost. By using ai spraying plant to wash away the ice he was a.ble to save his crop, although what would have happened had he been less alert was shown by the fate of several plants that were missed by the water. In other instances a severe check was administered to several quite large patches of potatoes — some of which would have been, ready for diggi.ng in two or three weeks. v