BIG AS WALNUTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20130, 27 December 1939, Page 6

BIG AS WALNUTS

HAIL AT PATUTAHI SEVERE LOSSES ORCHARDS BADLY HIT FRUIT CUT AND BRUISED GLASS HOUSES SMASHED FIELD CROPS STRIPPED One of the most disastrous hailstorms that has ever visited the district cut a narrow track of damage at Patutahi yesterday afternoon, ruining entire orchards and stripping field crops as if they had been flailed by sticks. Farmers describe the hail as being as big as walnuts, and this must be no exaggeration, for glass-houses were smashed, fully 75 per cent of the glass on one property being shattered. One farmer stated that some of the hail was as big as hen’s eggs. Another said thc-y were more than lin. thick.

The hail lasted for about 20 minutes. One farmer stated that the biggest of (he hail fell first, and while the later stones were slightly smaller they fell more thickly, pelting down without cessation and lying thick upon the ground. They were-lft. deep in the hollows an hour later, and even last night the hail lay about in sheltered places.

Old residents had never seen anything like it before, one of these being a man who had 65 years’ residence in the district. One farmer came home to find his maize shredded, his pumpkins flattened out and his barley lying down. Some specimens of the hail had been saved for him in the refrigerator, and these measured over an inch across. “Not Six-penn’orth Left”

‘‘The whole of a season’s work was ruined in that 20 minutes,” stated one orchardist, after surveying the damage.

“Out of my whole crop,” stated another. “I have not six penn’orth of fruit left.”

Four commercial orchards suffered almost complete loss. One of the heaviest of the losers was Mr. J. C. Hardy, who estimated that 100 per cent of his crops of stone, pip and hothouse fruit had been ruined, as well as his three glasshouses being completely smashed, less than 25 per cent of the glass remaining unbroken.

Out of an expected 20,000 cases of fruit, he said, he would not secure sufficient sound fruit to fill a bushel case.

In addition to the fact that his revenue will be absolutely nil from his orchard, Mr. Hardy said he would have the burden of paying strippers to remove all the fruit. None of it would be in a sound enough condition for sale when mature, and if it were not removed the vitality required to bring it to a -ipe condition would be taken unnecessarily from the trees.' There was nothing to be done, therefore, but to remove all the fruit so as to give the trees a better chance next season.

The shattering of the glass houses was bad enough, and with it was the destruction of the entire crop inside, but in addition there was doubt as to whether the glass can be replaced, in view of the shortage of stocks in New Zealand owing to the import restrictions. If the glass cannot be replaced, Mr. Hardy’s hot-house activities during the subsequent season will be greatly restricted.

The Biggest Orchard

The largest commercial orchard in the district, that of the late Mr. A. Brodie, also was seriously affected. This orchard has an area of 20 acres, mainly in apples, but including peaches and tomatoes. It is estimated that 60 per cent of the apple crop was damaged, while the tomatoes were stripped, but the full extent of xno damage will not be known for two or three days, when a careful inspection is made of the orchard after the bruising of the fruit is more apparent.

This is the second big misfortune for this orchard during the present decade, for in the flood of 1932 the orchard was silted to a depth of up to 3ft. in places, and the crop was harvested under extreme difficulties. The flood came in February, just as the first of the export fruit was ready for picking.

Mr. O. Thodey’s orchard was “practically cleaned out,” to use Mr. Thodey’s own phrase. His fruit included apples, pears, plums and peaches, and the hail did so much damage that the sides of the fruit were cut away in many instances.

Mr. L. Sefton stated that not one apple in his orchard was left undamaged, while the storm also wrought havoc among the tomatoes and pears. In addition, apricots ready for picking were destroyed, while cucumbers 4in. long were split open.

The hail was ' widespread in the district, and although the stones were large in other parts the damage was very light. Mrs. E. Dick’s orchard, which is three miles from the centre of the havoc at Patutahi, escaped lightly, while at Manutuke the damage was not noticeable immediately after the storm.

Ormond Grape Crop

At Ormond, where the storm lasted for about half an hour, severe damage was done to some of the softer of the fruit. Little ill-efi'ect was noticed at Mr. C. E. Grey’s orchard, but across the road and slightly nearer Gisborne Mr. F. Wohnsiedler’s vinery suffered heavily.

Mr. Wohnsiedler was unable to accurately estimate the loss, which varied according to the variety, but in some varieties fully 50 per cent of the crop was badly damaged. The brittle leaves of some varieties were quickly torn to ribbons, and the exposed fruit received the full force of the storm, while other grapes that were protected by stouter leaves escaped more lightly.

Field crops appeared to sutler as badly as the fruit in many instances. Maize, which has been making a rapid growth and which in most cases was looking particularly well, was battered down, the leaves being left as torn strips. Pumpkins and marrows also suffered severely. Farmers are not certain whether these crops will recover.