THE FRUIT CROP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14018, 25 March 1909, Page 6

THE FRUIT CROP.

YIELD IN THE SOUTH ISLAND. [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] <■- CHRiSTCHrRCH,* Wednesday. "The season has been an. erratic '.; one for fruit," said Mr. J. C. Blackmore (Government nomologist) - to a reporter to-day. Southland had .had, a,; moderate crop of fairly good quality fruit, but Otago results had been somewhat varied. ' The Teviot . district had garnered one cf J the largest crops on record, and the estimate of 2500 tons made early in the season had been justified. The quality was very fine, as the growers worked on a thorough system of spraying, pruning, etc. ;> The districts about Clyde and ■■ Alexandra also enjoyed record crops of fairly good quality. Taking; the Central Otago district as a whole there had, he said, ■ been '> a largely increased output of cherries and ? strawberries. The ; crops ,in Canterbury ) were very poor in comparison. with last year's crops. Hail inflicted a good deal of; qam : age on apples and pears. ; It had been found difficult to secure fruit for the Shepherd's i Bush "Exhibition. Reports from Nelson district indicated that the yields of" fruit there had been - satisfactory to the. -growers. Mi". Blackmore believes there is no other district in the Dominion which will" be able to compete with Central Otago for high quality. apricots and peaches, as the soil and climatic 'conditions are so':* eminently suited for the production' of these fruits, Wben there is a more efficient 'system of transit to markets the industry will, ; : he says, . moke" great strides. , ■ ","-,