LOBURN FRUIT CROP SUFFERS AS RESULT OF FROST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18900, 26 October 1929, Page 9

LOBURN FRUIT CROP SUFFERS AS RESULT OF FROST.

The frost that occurred in North Canterbury yesterday morning was the most disastrous ever experienced in October. An easterly breeze was blowing during the earlier part of the night, and there did not appear to be any grounds for apprehension of a frost. The easterly died down, however, before midnight, and was followed by a wave of frosty air off the snow coated ranges, which sweeping over the country to the sea caused ruin in orchards and gardens in all directions. It is safe to say that the early potatoes are completely cut to the ground, some protected with a covering of sacks being almost as severely damaged as the plants in the open. Those who had ventured on the planting of tomatoes and French beans, in the hope of getting early crops have been doomed to disappointment. The loss of the tender garden stuff, however, bears no comparison in seriousness with the disaster that has overtaken the orchardists at Loburn and the Rangiora district. On Thursday the prospects were for very large crops of all kinds of fruit grown m the extensive commercial orchards, and the proprietors were looking forward to a good return for their year’s labour and outlay, but yesterday the whole outlook was changed. On an inspection being made of the orchards at Loburn, it was found that the whole of the stone fruit, consisting of peaches, nectarines and plums, had been completely ruined, and that the apples and pears were in almost as bad a condition. In fact, the majority of the orchardists have no hesitation in expressing their belief that these crops, too, have been destroyed. Both the stone and pip fruits in the orchards on the south bank of the Ashley river and in the Fernside district have also suffered very severely. This applies also to the small orchards throughout the northern district, alt having suffered more or less. Last year’s output of fruit from the commercial orchards at Loburn and Rangiora was well up to 70,000 cases, including 2000 cases of apples exported. This year 10,000 cases of apples had been guaranteed by the Rangiora-Lo-burn Fruitgrowers’ Association for export, but now it is expected that there will not be a case available for the overseas trade.

The severity of the frost was indicated by ice up to a quarter of an inch thick dnd by frozen taps and pumps, conditions that cannot be recalled as having been experienced before at the latter end of spring.