THE APPLE CROP

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 129, 1 June 1926, Page 5

THE APPLE CROP

POSITION NEEDS REVIEWING

ADVICE TO GROWERS,

"The. apple. export ■ season which has just ended lias Been Isuch abnormal development in the trade, and the quantity snipped next.year.is so likely to be rather iv excess, than under, this year's total, that the whole position needs reviewing," said Mr." J. A. Campbell, Director of Horticulture, ■ yesterday. '. "This is necessary in order that the best service possible may be .given the individual grower. The matter o£ cooling prior to shipment is now held to be of great importance. Delays prior to shipment frequently occur, and not only does pre-cooling have the advantage of retarding the ripening of fruit during such delays, but it' provides for the handing over of the fruit to the ship in a cold condition which ' contributes materially toward an early reduction of temperature in the hold to that required for the carriage of fruit. A SEASONAL BUSINESS. "However, fruit export is a seasonal business, and to provide sufficient accommodation to meet our growing requirements would undoubtedly be a very costly matter. Steps are being taken to meet the situation as well as is possible, but what concerns the Department of Agriculture more particularly is the matter of maturity. While it is recognised that shipment of. immature, apples can only be satisfactory in as far as they will prob-ably-arrive in sound condition, such fruit must, from the point of view of flavour and appearance, leave a great deal to be desired. It is felt that no sound industry could be built up with these conditions. On the other hand over-mature fruit is liable to decay before, or shortly after, its arrival on the market. While such mature , fruit when sound will provide for the consumer an apple of full flavour, much superior to that shipped in the immature state, its liability to decay presents a very obvious danger. HAPPY MEDIUM AIMED AT. "What is aimed at is a happy medium, but this, is not as easy to obtain as may appear. First, there is the matter of shipping space. This has to be secured considerably in advance of the actual shipping, and even if it is available when required, a very careful assessment of his crop must be made by every grower in order to prevent accumulations. The grower must also lodge his requirements of space in ample time to enable such space to be secured. This matter of assessing a fruit crop is not easy, but the position of shipping is impossible unless it is done, and as it is practicable to assess a crop this is a thing to which the grower should give great attention in order that fruit may be parried satisfactorily in future. The difficulty in the past lay in the fact that although an approximately correct estimate of the crop has been made, the grower has been unable to pick, grade, and pack the fruit before it became too ripe. In the past no limit of time has been set with respect to the different varieties. There is a tendency towards confusion as to the order of the maturity of different varieties. "There are many other problems that have to do with the carrying on of a safe and sound export trade in fruit, but year by year experience in one direction or another is being gained. In the past it has been the practice to have a sort of stocktaking when the season ends, and to take, full advantage of the experience gained. AVitli this object in view the Department of Agriculture last week called together a number of its leading instructors, who during the season were in the thick of the work of fruit export, and many problems of the past season were discussed. Ways and means were particularly with respect to methods dii-ectly concerning the Department. With i-egard to the question of maturity, a line of action has been agreed upon, and it is such as is hoped will improve the position next. year. These matters will probably be. discussed at the forthcoming provincial fruitgrowers'conferences, which will be held shortly, and will, no doubt, be discussed fully at | the Dominion Conference, which meets in Wellington at the end of the month. ■