BIG CROPS OF HOPS, TOBACCO

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30666, 4 February 1965, Page 12

BIG CROPS OF HOPS, TOBACCO

(New Zealand Press Association) NELSON, February 3. Hop and tobacco crops in the Motueka district promise to be above average if February continues to be fine and sunny. Dr. R. H. J. Roborgh, director of the hop research station, and Mr ,R. Thomson, director of Tobacco research station, both reported this morning that the hot, humid conditions of January had brought the crops on rapidly.

Dr. Roborgh said the last four weeks had produced weather most suitable for hop growth. Flowers were heavy on the vines.

“All we want now,” he said, “is high temperatures and plenty of light.” “The lupulin, the part the brewers are interested in has

not formed yet. It comes in the last two to three weeks before picking.

“If the weather continues as required we will have a crop well above average when picking starts in the last week of February.” , Rainfall, although ' more than necessary, had not damaged the hops, said Dr Roborgh. Mr Thomson said that to the end of December the tobacco crop had appeared to be just ordinary. But the January spell of warm, humid weather had brought it on rapidly. No reports of disease had been received, he said. Harvesting was now in full swing but would be extended a few weeks by the later plantings. The 1965 Nelson apple and pear crops will be very near to the 1962 record year, said an officer of the Department of Agriculture this morning. The fruit size would definitely be bigger than normal, he said, and this would be the factor rather than numbers that would account for the near record crop. A certain amount of russet was showing and would lower the grade of some apple varieties, particularly Delicious and Jonathan.

The crop at present was about a week behind the normal ripening dates but growers expected this tendency towards late maturing would be almost off-set if fine weather continued for a fortnight.