Raspberry crop peak near

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34041, 3 January 1976, Page 14

Raspberry crop peak near

Christchurch growers say the raspberry season will probably reach its peak next week if the hot weather of yesterday continues.

Cold days during December delayed most of the harvesting until the middle of tre holiday period, making it difficult to get pickers. Normally, much of the harvest would have been completed by the end of last year. Mr T. Harrow, of Redwood Gardens, said the public response to a call for pickers had been "absolutely tremendous.” Many family groups had picked during the hot, humid weather when the fruit was ripening quickly. He was thankful that the weather was cold during the labour shortage, but growers were now watching the ; depression in the North Island very closely, he said. If the weather holds, berry I growers hope for 100 pick-

ers or more for the next: week to cope with the sea-: son’s crop, harvesting of which is expected to end towards the end of January. Mr Harrow said the drizzly mornings were putting people off picking. However, the sunshine yesterday prevented the fruit from going mouldy, and good quality fruit was being collected at 20c a kilogram.