THE FRUIT CROPS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue XLIX, 11 January 1916, Page 6

THE FRUIT CROPS

SEASONS PROSPECTS

The officers of the State Horticulture Division repoi-t as follows regarding the condition of the fruit crop at the end of December: — WhangareL—Apples: Midseason and late, average crop. Earlier varieties medium to heavy. Blight on potatoes and tomatoes has greatly decreased. Speaking generally, stone fruits are a shoTt crop, and "pip"' varieties are below average. Early peaches and plums ripened of? quite two weeks earlier than ■usual this season, and good price? are maintained up to the present. Auckland South.—Apple.--: Good average crop, early varieties marketed in fair quantities." Apricots: Light to average, fair .samples and % prices. Peaches: Light to medium. Pears: Fair average crop. Plums: Light (Japanese), fair to medium. Strawberries : Coming forward large quantities, last three weeks dry hot wenther rapid!v exhausting cropHamilton. —Apples : Fair, some varieties fallen rather hadly. Apricots: Good. Cherries: Fair, mostly gathered. Gooseberries: Fair, now finished. Peaches: Light: early peaches very light, good sale. Pears: Fair to medium, very had with scab in some parts. Plnms : Patchy: Japanese, patchy. Tomatoes: eVry few grown. Palmersrton North.—Apples.- Crop patchy, but looking well, fairly free from" scah. in some districts slightlv marked-: with hailstones. Cherries: All j finished. Crop in Wairarapa better thnn expected: ,Manawatu practically a failure. Gooseoerries: Crop finished good. Pears: Looking well: scab not so troublesome this season so far. - Raspberries: Crop good, now being marketed. Strawberries: Practically finished. not heem good. Tomatoes: Looking well, prospects good. Walnuts: Crop

zood. "Wellington.—Apples : Slight improvement from lastTeport. Apricots: Small crop, ripening well. Cherries: Practically over. Gooseberries: Oood crop. Lemons: Small. Nectarines: Small crop. Peaches: Small crop. Pears: Advancing as well as can be expected. Plums: •Ripening well, many falling through rough -weather; Japanese, good. Raspberries :■ Fa3r. .. Stra.wberri«s: Small crp, good. Tomatoes': Advancing splen- _ -didly considering adverse season; spraying hindered somewhat. "North Canterbury.—Apples: light crop. Apricots : Fair crop. Cherries: Good crop. Gooseberries: Good crppIjemons: .Not grown, to any extent. Peaches: Good crop. Pears: Good crop. Plums: Fair crop: Japanese, fair crop- Raspberries: Light crop. Strawberries : I/ight crop. The weather still continues to be -very dry and w-indy. A few showers or rain have fallen this last fortnight, but riot enough to do .much good.-Newly-planted trees are suffering in consequence, and unless we have goo - shaking rains shortly a , lot of the fruit will be on the small size this season . Cnristchurch —Apples: Early and.midseason .good crop; late apples inclined to be short crop. Apricots: Goad crop. Cherries: Crop about harvested, turned out- very -well. Timaru. —Apples: Light. All vaiietie« .remarkably free from black spot. Powdery wildew has been rather preva- | lent.

Nelson. —Apples: Prosnect of a good average crop are maintained. Apricots: The crop is short in quantity. Cherries: A very fair crop, now about, gathered. Gooseberries: A good crop, now about finished: N'ectarines:: Short crop, turing satisfactorily. Peaches: Short - crop, maturing satisfactorily. . : Pears: A fair crop,' making satisfactory pro-, - Tess. Plums: A fair crop, -making satisfactory progress: Japanese, average crop "in fair condition. Raspbertks: A good average crop, now being gathered." Strawberries: Good average crop. Tomatoes: The outside crop is .rather late, but average vield. The weather has heen unusually variable, a disadvantage to general orchard. crops.