CLEAN FRUIT CROPS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 94, 15 January 1932, Page 18

CLEAN FRUIT CROPS

Hawke’s Bay’s Season APPLES FOR EXPORT Dominion Special Service. Hastings, January 13. The packing of the first shipment of export apples from Hawke’s Bay will begin at the end of this month, which will be the earliest beginning for many years, and attributable to the growing popularity of the Gravenstein as an export variety. A heavy growth of Gravensteins is reported throughout the Dominion, and it is expected that New Zealand’s first shipment, which will leave on February 12, will consist largely of this variety. This season Hawke’s Bay has; a pleasingly clean crop of all fruits, and the dryness which has caused so much disappointment and no little loss in other branches of farming has been all to ,the good of‘the orchardist.-Tne foliage is looking especially bright and healthy, and there is a marked absence of black spot and russeting this year. The red mite, however, has been unusually troublesome in the local orchards, but' it has now been checked and is apparently under complete control at present. A late frost did some damage in a restricted area, but will not have materially affected the crop. It is estimated that this year’s export will exceed last year’s total of 214.000 cases, and Delicious, Cox’s, Stunners, and Jonathans will make up the bulk of the consignments.