NO WASTE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 199, 24 August 1942, Page 4

NO WASTE

"WINDBAG" CABBAGES

MARKET GARDEN PROBLEMS

"If the public knew a little more about the amount of work, the obstacles encountered and the small profits of market gardeners, they would not have any ideas about ploughing in cabbages or trying to keep up the price," said an Avondale vegetable grower to-day.

This , particular market gardener happened to be a woman of middleage, who has two sons at the front. Clad in workmanlike overalls and wearing gumboots, she was hard at work putting in long rows of young cabbage plants, with only one male assistant.

"I'm doing this to help keep up the supply, and, if possible, to keep this business going until my sons come back from the war," she explained. The visitors, observing from the road large areas of fully grown cabbages among which were hundreds of apparently good cabbages beginning to rot, inquired whether wastage was not taking place there. The woman expert thereupon took the party on a tour of inspection of the nearest cabbage patch, and hnd no difficulty in demonstrating that not one cabbage was being wasted. "Windbags" Without Hearts "Those discoloured ones are what we call 'windbags,' " she explained, breaking open a "windbag" to demonstrate her meaning. Although outwardly an excellent cabbage, it was found to contain no heart, being puffed out like a football. "You can imagine what the public would say if we sold them cabbages iike that," she remarked. The only sensible and practicable thing to do with "windbags" was to leave them in the ground and later plough them in as manure for the next crop.

There were no restrictions whatever, she said, on the number of cabbages that could be sent to market, where they were sold pureiy on a small commission basis, so that it, would be in nobody's interest to allow them to rot—particularly just now when the price was sufficient to give growers a reasonable margin of profit and to recoup some of their recent losses when they were receiving only 1/6 per sack. "Is it likely that we would plough in good cabbages under these conditions?" the market gardener asked reasonably.

At present cabbages were realising to the grower about 6/ per sack, and while gave them a margin, it was by , j means large. This grower estimated that total costs in producing cabbages ran into nearly 5/ per sack, so that it was only when the pricc rose to about 10/ per sack that the average price over the year made their outlay and work worth while. Potatoes and Petrol The potato position was very different. "I can tell you one reason why potatoes are scarce," said this practical grower, and then she related the great difficulty she had experienced in obtaining the necessary quota of petrol for use in the motor tractor used in preparing and planting her potato area.

For four days her hired man had haunted the o'ffice of the official in charge of petrol permits, but without success. Then she herself attended the office, but was unable to see the officer in c'narge. Determined to wait all day if necessary, and after many assurances of the futility of her efforts, she at last was successful and obtained the necessary supply after five days oi' waiting.

By this time it was felt that the frost season was dangerously near, and finally it was found that only a much smaller area than originally contemplated could be planted.

"If others have had the same difficulties as myself, I can understand the position," she concluded.