ORCHARDS AND MARKETS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11158, 14 March 1922, Page 3

ORCHARDS AND MARKETS

REPORTS Of. INSPECTORS. INTERESTING DETAILS. .The Director of the Horticulture Division has rtoeived tfae following; reports from officers regarding orchard and mar«ryin?922>ndition* ** th ® en d of Pebrtl-

WANGANUI. ' ■ Apples:: Pair crop. Marketing. in progroso. Lemons: Average.' Nectarines: ■Fair.. .Peaches: Light. Peart: Average. ( Black/ spot appearing in - /parts. Plums >\ Light. ''Braetioolly finished. Tomatoes:. Average crop. Blight no longer. causing damage.—N. J. Adamson. 7 NELSON. , " . Apples: A. fair short crop” is now being harvested. The fruit is ripening rather 'earlier than usual. Nectarines and - crop.) the ijuality is above the average, moat lines beihg free' of brown rot fungus. Peare: This, fruit is being harvested In fine condition'. Plume: Most of the leading varieties^hwve been gathered ; good olean samples have been , the rule. Tomatoes:. The ;harvesting of the outside ctop is about completed. ' - .The. weather has been, dry and hot, excepting the last two- or, three days, when-steady, rain Tell.—'W.-'C. Hyde. 'NELSON CENTRAL.

Apples: All Cox s and Worcesters picked and; best; grades exported. Most ,of the Dona’s eJeo, now commending - on Jonathan; the latter - variety ripening with very little odour, .owing; to- thd dry weather. The - draught brake on the 26th' with a- good soaking’ rain. Block spot was weli gchecked during the dry. spell/ tut r*d mite .made good headway, while .oodlln. moth was rather prevalent in sprue’localities. Leaf roller does not, appear to be so, much in ,evidence as at: this time last year. Pears i Williams pearSi now finished : other varieties’ maturing fast, generally speaking 1 vory free frOm tpot. Packman's Triumph shows up to advantage in a fcw orcharda, being clean and bright and a niee crop. -J.' H. Thorp. .

. MOTUEKA. Applee: .Better-crop than at first •niicipated. Good’ percentage being exported. On whole fairly dean. BqNratting -in some varieties. ;. Much being cool stored owing to low prices now B°ing. Pears: Good. Majority clean, especially earlier, varieties. Quantities being coal stored; Plums» Practically over. Only fair crap. Tomatoes: Outside doling well. ' Main crop now .being picked. - Walnuter—Fair.—G. Stratford.

MARLBOROUGH. Applet; Below ’ average. Apricots, cherries 1 and .gooseberries: Over. Nectarines and peaches; Pair average, mostly i harvested. Pears: Good average oroj>. Plums: Pair;.. Pllims (Japanese): Heavy. Tomatoes.*.' Very fair crop. In places exceptionally good. Walnuts: Below average. - In- the earner part of the month there were indications that apples generally would mature exceptionally early, but a, long_ spell of cloudy. weather during tho latter half of - the month has checked, development verr considerably. . As * though late varieties will probably be picked from, two to threw weeks, eaxlter than usual, mid-season varieties will not ripen much, in advance of normal harvest periods. l —C. I Uraigie |