FRUITGROWERS’ PLIGHT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18254, 24 November 1933, Page 9

FRUITGROWERS’ PLIGHT

FROSTS IN THE SOUTH HEAVY CROP LOSSES (Bar Brass Association.) DUNEDIN, last night. This season lias been a particularly bad one Cor .fruitgrowers in Central Otago. Last mouth, a large proportion of the stone fruit crop was destroyed In a disastrous frost, and, as though orchnrdists had not had enough troubles, they experienced on Wednesday morning a further visitation which, although not so serious as the former one, played havoc with young tomato plants, and also ruined a number of beans aitd 'potatoes, which had been planted by growers in an endeavor to make up some of the loss on the stone fruit crop. The frost on Wednesday registered 14 degrees, and, although some of the tomato crops were saved to a certain extent by the use of the tiro pots, growers who did not have these suffered badly, and one man lost 12,000 plants. The frost was more patchy than the previous one, and in some cases while the outside rim of the crop was damaged plants on the inside wore not affected. 'Nevertheless, it was a serious blow to the industry and will involve a heavy loss to growers, who were already suffering under an almost intolerable burden.

SCENE OF DESOLATION M.INISTER APPROACH ED ( P«r Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The plight of Otago fruitgrowers who have suffered heavy losses through frost, was placed before the Minister of Agriculture yesterday by a deputation of Otago and Southland members of Parliament led by Mr W. A. Bodkin. The Iboi. <E. Macmillan received sympathetically the request of the deputation for assistance for growers in the frost-visited area, and said he had little doubt, that the Cabinet would adopt a recommendation he already had prepared calling for financial assistance. 31 r Bodkin emphasised that the growers were in a desperate state. About 3000 acres of orchard had been virtually wiped out, and many trees might be affected for more than one year. In some cases all the foliage was gone, and the scene wm> one of complete desolation. DAMAGE AT MASTKRTON (Pur Press Association.) MASTERTON, this day. A frost of 10 degrees at Masterlon yesterday morning proved disastrous to tomato and other crops of a tender nature. Several commercial growers lost thousands of tomatoes*