FRUIT INDUSTRY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 52, 1 March 1918, Page 3

FRUIT INDUSTRY

GOOD PRICES IN OTAGO. BROWN ROT IN PEACHES. As far as can b e ascertained, fruitgrowers, especially those in Otago Central, ar e experiencing a very satisfactory season, more particularly as regards stone fruit, but these remarks have application to the prices ruling for all kinds of fruit, .states the Otago i Daily Times. So far there have been j no gluts on the market, as was th e case during the past few years, nor is there likely to r be any this season. In previous years at this time peaches have been sold, in the auction- rooms in Dunedin it l£d to l£d' per l'b. This year prices have ranged from -2£ d to 9d per lb. In other words, peaches which ' were worth from 3d to 3£d last year I have been selling at from 4d! to s£d j this season. The prices of apples have [ shown quite as great an improvement—- { from the point of view of the growers. >' Last year pears wer e sold at. from 3e : 9d to 4s- 6d per dump case (401b), and j this year they have brought from 7s i 6d to 9s 9d. Tomatoes have been of exceptionally good quality this season i bo far, and- better . prices have ruled than in former year. Tomatoes which brought from 2|d to 3£d' last year realised from 4d to this month. The tomatoes have been singularly fre e from disease. Those grown in .Central Otago are unquestionably the best, in- the matter of quality which f come on the Dunedin market, andi each [ year sees a marked improvement in ; this respect. It must be assumed that \ the severe frosts experienced there de- : stroy the pests which would otherwise :•' interfere with them.

Although disease in. tomatoes has been absent, tree fruit has not "been so fortunate. Peaches have suffered a good d'eal from what is known as brown rust, or brown rot. This- can, however, be successfully controlled by systematic spraying with what is known as the self-'boiled lime-sulphur spray, the ingredients being: Sulphur 81b, lime 81b, water 50 gallons. This should be applied' one month after the petals have fallen, and again about a month before the fruit is ripe. A good deal of black spot is noticeable on apples _ and peaTs coming on the market. This is probably due to the heavy rainfall which has been experienced, and to the humid climatic conditions prevailing. A good- deal of shot-hole funerus has also been noticed this year oro apricots. This ! also is attributed to the wet season. These drawbacks, however, have been largely discounted! by the good prices—quite 25 per cent, better than those of igi7—and- the good' crops of all kinds of fruit. .

FRUIT CASE TIMBER. A. NEW SOUTH WALES SCHEME. uring the course of his remarks in opening a show recently, Mr Ashford,' Minister of Lands for New South Wales, said' fruitgrowers had teen labouring under the 'burden of the excessive cost of cases —as well as other increased costs. Mr Ashford knew the value of State-supplied cases. All he asked was guarantees that they would take certain quantities if he arranged for the supply of them. He believed that the scheme which he had been working upon for some time would confer a great benefit on the fruit-growers of the State. Without going into details, he said he had practically completed arrangements -whereby bushel cases could be supplied- at Is or perhaps a shade less. Negotiations were in progress for adjustments in regard to the prices for smaller sized standard cases. What he now asked the various fruitgrowers'" associations to do was to go into the matter of their requirements and give Him a fairly accurate idea of the quantity they would be prepared to take each year. While recognising that small mills with limited areas of timber to work upon in various districts might supply cases, Mr Ashford said to assure the maintenance of adequate supplies for the whole State, the first requisite was to have forests of enormous capacity. Otherwise fruitgrowers could not look for a continuous supply for all time. The highest class of case at present in us e in New South Wales, was made from New Zealand timber. That source of supply would cease to exist m a few years at most. The white pine forests of the Dominion were almost depleted. It was possible to supply a first-clast i case bv utilising a timber that was not ' much 'known. This was the mountain i ash in the State forests in the Batlow district, where one sawmill of great ca.'rnacity, in addition to cutting the besl Parte of the logs for other commercial purposes, would be capable of turnip? out from the residue enough material for at least three-quarters of th e frml cases needed in New South Wales. By combining this with the work of the Forestry Commission, they could have in a verv reasonable time, if not nex. season, "a higher standard case thar those in use at present. It would be r comparatively light case, too It would he possible to supplv the "bushel size at not more than Is, to any part of Nev South Wales. If th e Growers ed the proposal, he could say that energetic steps would be taken to protec the interests of fruitgrowers in this sr-eV.t. and relieve them of the buxder of the very high prices now ruling. MAshford emphasised that to h project a success it would b e nee essav to have the co-operation of tb* fruit powers It would b. no use himarraneing for the manufacture of pay, j 1 SSrm case-, to 'be supplied «t something less than Is unless guaranteed ; hat'the-case, would be taken Other- : w i=e someone mnrht come m and under sell for a tim« to Aefeit the scheme, S and prices would *o back- to Is 6d.

HON A. M.MYERS