QUICK-FREEZING INDUSTRY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29709, 30 December 1961, Page 7

QUICK-FREEZING INDUSTRY

Green Pea Yields About Normal Although not an ideal season, the Canterbury vegetable and fruit quick-freez-ing industry is much more fortunately placed than Hawke’s Bay. There has been a long period of hot, dry weather but the easterly winds have held some humidity and fortunately there have been few northwest winds. The local industry is in the middle of the green pea season and, with the acreage about the same as last year, yields look as though they would average about normal, a spokesman for the Christchurch processing firm said, this week. There are several problems, The very wet winter prevented much of the land being worked up as finely as usuau for the seed bed, and in some crops uneven germination has resulted in some patchiness and a variation in maturity in different parts of the paddocks. Crops on the lighter land are finished and harvesting is being carried out on the medium land around Halswell and Lincoln, with crops on the heavier land yet to come to maturity. A good crop of broad beans was harvested and processed this year and it has also been a good year for raspberries which bene fitted from the

warm weather in November. Raspberries came in faster this year than usual and the season was not drawn out as long. Green bean crops, which will not be ready for harvesting until after the pea season, are looking well. This crop is processed in February and March. South Canterbury crops have done rather well and, although some of the early pea crops were poor, the rest of the season promises well and the growing area has reflected the better rainfall in comparison with North Canterbury.