VEGETABLE SUPPLIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25801, 23 March 1945, Page 4

VEGETABLE SUPPLIES

PROSPECTS FOR WINTER OUTLOOK MORE FAVOURABLE The horticultural inspector of the Department of Agriculture (Mr W. G. Crawford) has just completed a tour of inspection of the main vegetablegrowing areas in the Otago district. In an interview yesterday he said that, generally speaking, the crops were on the light side in comparison with more favourable seasons in the past. This was especially so in the case of potatoes and other small root crops. Potatoes were badly affected by Irish blight, Mr Crawford said, and there was every likelihood of heavy losses because of this disease, even after the crops had been harvested. The small acreages of small root crops were largely the result of a shortage of man-power in some of the market gardens. The use of mechanised plant, however, had been increased considerably of late years, particularly during the war period, and had offset to a large extent the shortage of vegetables which would inevitably have occurred with the present lack of man-power. Apart from the potato blight, Mr Crawford said, disease had not been so prevalent among vegetables this year, mainly on account of the wet, cold season. The recent floods were responsible for the loss of several acres of winter cabbage and brocolli. but generally the outlook for a supply of winter vegetables was fairly satisfactory.