APPLES AND PEARS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1942, Page 7

APPLES AND PEARS

REDUCTION IN CROPS

WEATHER TO BLAME

Unfavourable climatic conditions have been largely responsible for the reduced apple and pear crops in New Zealand this season, and the effect of those conditions is now being felt generally. The situation is summed up in figures supplied today by Mr. W. Benzies, officer, in charge of the apple and pear section of the Internal Marketing Division. Last year to February 21, he said, the receipts were 182,312 cases, whereas the quantity received this year to the same date was only 91,387 cases. For the three-weekly period from February 1 to 21, the figures were: 1940, 72,300; 1941, 121,000; 1942, 59,987.

Picking of Cox Orange apples had started in the Nelson district last Monday, said Mr. Benzies. It had been estimated originally that Nelson would supply about 15,000 cases of Cox's Orange this week, but the latest advice was that only 1200 cases would be available. However, growers were picking a fairly substantial quantity, and it was possible that they had a good deal of fruit in their sheds which they had not had time to pack and deliver to the depot. The prospect was, therefore, that supplies would come to hand better next week Nevertheless, it was likely to be about March 14 before reasonable supplies of Cox's Orange were on the market In the meantime, it would be necessary to ration the market to the best advantage. FRUIT IN STORAGE. On the much-discussed question of friut held in storage, Mr Benzies said that by February 21 the whole of the fruit received had been marketed, with the exception of some 12,000 cases. Nine thousand of those cases were actually in transit on that date between the Division's depots and the market, and only 3000 cases remained on the i assembling floors throughout the country. . In the main the apple, and pear crops would not be as high as last year. Last year the totals were: Apples, 2,200,000 cases; pears, 400,000 cases, and so far as could be estimated there would this season be about 2,000,000 cases of apples and about 230,000 cases of pears to deal with. The latest estimate from Hawke's Bay, where hail damage had | been considerable, was for a crop of 1750,000 cases, an increase of 150,000 leases on the original figure. Nelson had also suffered from hail and bad growing weather, and the crop was estimated at about 800,000 cases, about 500,000 cases below that of last season. Both Auckland and Canterbury had shared in the climatic difficulties, and their crops would be reduced accordingly.