POTATO CROPS.

Franklin Times, Volume 14, Issue 200, 9 November 1925, Page 4

POTATO CROPS.

EFFECT OF RECENT FROSTS.

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE

ACHES OF POTATOES DESTROYED

“All through we have had a pretty bad spin this year with potatoes,” said a local produce merchant to a Times reporter this morning, when approached for information concerning the potato market generally, and particularly with reference to the frost experienced on Saturday and this morning. “Reports have reached me from all parts of the district,” he added, “to, Hie effect'that the frost, played havoc with the crops, particularly in the lowlying areas, and as a result thousands of pounds’ worth of potatoes have x ‘gone west.’ Of course, I have not seen the crops in question, but the source of my information is reliable. “The position is this,” he said, .“that crops Mil at suffered will have 1o be dug before the tubers., are matured, and the result- will probably be that a lot of rubbish will be thrown on to the market, and these growers will have to take what they can get or else they will gel nothing at all. Naturally, any inferior stuff put- on the market has the tendency of killing the market for the good quality potatoes. However, we have to put up with this, j. but I can assure you we have had a really had spin, with the cold wet weather and frost earlier in the season. the increased railway freights and now a sharp frost in November. A fortnight ago I was giving- £2O per ton for potatoes and with the increased railway freights very few were sent to Wellington. The bulk of these* went to Auckland, but Auckland cannot take the lot. However, I sent one consignment- to the Empire City, and it was good stuff too, but on the transaction I lost about £4 a ton. Today I am giving £l4 per ton. and I am trying to keep the price up, but little or no business is doing.” ' “What is the freight to Wellington?” asked the reporter. The reply was 31s 10 per ton. “I am not complaining about the freight to Wellington,” he declared “It used to be £1 per ton, then it went up to £2 per ton. and now it is down to 31s’ lOd, but we have to send 1A ton lots. Freight on Small Lots.

“The freight for small lots is absolutely absurd,” lie proceeded, “and »there are any amount of places between here and Wellington, and here and Napier, that require scwt.,, Bcwt., and even lOcwt. lot§. Y r ou know, and the Government knows as I do, that potatoes. are a necessity of life, and the Government claim that the cheaper the cost of food the better for the consumers, but in these cases I claim it is no) doing the pepper thing. Naturally the railways have to be made to pay, but surely in the case of foodstuffs, such as potatoes, the railway freight on small lots could be reduced to an absolute reasonable minimum. As a result of the position generally Hie merchants are liable to tighten up credits. That is all I can tell you*’ he concluded. XVith this information as a guided Ihe. reporter got busy on the telephone and interviewed a number of growers in the Mauku. Puni, Pukekohe East, Parra in Bucldand. Harrisville, Pukekohe Hill and Pukekohe proper dis- 7 tricts, and learned that the effect of the frost both on Saturday and this morning was' very detrimental. • At Mauku it is stated that one or two crops were nipped, but the damage is not extensive. At Bucldand several crops were cut very badly, while on the. low lands of Pukekohe tjie potaV toes suffered considerably. A Pukekohe East grower informed the reporter that a most severe frost was experienced -this, morning. “On Saturday morning,” he said, “the frost got very few over this way, but this morning, gee whiz, it got the lot and cut them jet black. There are acres and acres destroyed, included in which are a number of very young crops. There was a tremendous lot of damage done last night in the high lands as well as on the low lands. I can tell you that with the wind, hail, rain, and late frosts, we have had a very crook run this season. Some of us have had a very had time,” he concluded.

The crops on Pukekohe Hill and Harrisville appear to have escaped but crops at Puni. Paerata. and the back of Pukekohe Hill fared badly. On the whole very extensive damage was done to gardens in and around Pukekohe. Besides potatoes early tomatoes bear eloquent evidence, of a sharp frost.