A KILLING FROST

Evening Star, Issue 20317, 28 October 1929, Page 7

A KILLING FROST

HUGE CANTERBURY FRUIT LOSSES EXPORT SURPLUS WIPED OUT [Spkcial to th* 1 Star.’] / CHRISTCHURCH, October 26. Huge losses of apples, pears, and stone fruit have been caused m Christchurch and Loburn orchards by the frost of Thursday? night, and there seems every possibility of a fruit shortage, while Canterbury’s "share of the dominion’s growing export trade has certainly been wiped out for this year. Pessimism seems to be the dominant feature of the outlook of growers at present. Reports indicate that the damage don© is tho worst for many years. Tho Papanui orchards have been knocked about properly,’ said Mr G. B. Goodwin (Government Orchardist at Christchurch), who visited that district yesterday. “ I should say that at least 75 per cent, of the total output has been destroyed by the frost. Pears have fared even worse than apples, and as to stone fruits—well, some of them will have hardly a plum. It’s not only that the young ‘ruit has been nipped; the frost got the blossoms, too. One Papanui grower was going to export 1,000 cases of pears and apples; now I’ll be surprised if he gets more than about 1,000 pears. It is bard on these men. Not only have they lost twelve months’ work, but they will get no revenue till next year. I’m afraid there won’t be any export trade this season. We shan’t have enough fruit for our own requirements.” A Lobnrn grower told a reported that the losses were expected to be enormous. “ All the plums and apricots are clean gone, and a good 90 per cent, of the nectarines. 1 would not say definitely about the apples vet. but probably we have suffered quite as heavily as Papanui. All the same, if even 5 per cent, of the apples on the trees come to maturity we should still have a crop, the orchards have been carrying such a quantity of fruit.”