H—3o

Lemons The lemon season in New Zealand covers the period Ist April in one year to the 31st March of the next year. The departmental report covers the period Ist October in one year to the 30th September in the next. The figures set out below therefore cover half of one season and half of the next. Packing-plants at Kerikeri, Auckland, and Tauranga were again operated during the period under review, whilst in Tauranga a picking team is provided for growers who are unable to recruit the necessary labour for this purpose. *

The total lemon sales for this year and for the same period last year were :

Tlie following is a summary of marketable grades received by each, packing houses, for the period under review

£ s. d. Total preferred .. .. 68,572§ 35,403 14 1 Total commercial .. .. 34,483§ 15,020 110 103,056 £50,423 15 11 Total Receipts (Including Rejects), All Grades for Each Shed Cases. Tauranga .. .. .. .. .. 84,180§ Auckland .. .. .. .. .. 27,890f Kerikeri .. .. .. .. .. 10,023 Grisborne .. .. .. .. .. 4,906f 126,999| By-products Receipt figures as under£ s. d. First peel lemons : 16336f cases at ss. 6d. case .. 4,492 10 9 Second peel lemons : 156§ cases at 4s. case .. 31 5 6 Juice lemons : 5505f cases at 2s. case .. .. 550 11 0 jProcessed 129|- tons peel; 9,641 gallons juice.

18

Source of Supply. Year Ended 30th September, 1947. Year Ended 30th September, 1948. Three-quarter-bushel Cases. Percentage. Three-quarter-bushel Cases. Percentage. New Zealand Cook Islands Australia 60,557 462 22,004 72-9 0-6 26-5 74,338 1,397 10,453 86-3 1-6 12-1 83,023 100-0 86,188 100-0

Auckland. 1 Tauranga. Kerikeri. Gisborne. Preferred. Commercial. Preferred. Commercial. Preferred. Commercial. Preferred. Commercial. 12,994f 57-60% 9,563| 42-40% 47,867-f 70-57% 1 19,958f 29-43% 5,266| 63-00% 37-00% 2,4431 56-67% 1,868 43-33%