11.—29.

Cool Storage. Refrigerated storage space available for fruit storage in the Dominion in the 1941 season amounted to accommodation for 900,000 bushels. New cool stores completed during the year for the Internal Marketing Division were at Auckland (capacity 35,000 cases), at Hastings (capacity 70,000 cases), and at Port- Nelson (capacity 30,000 cases). Knowledge of the cool-storage behaviour of New Zealand varieties is becoming more general, and losses in cool store should be reduced during ensuing seasons. Fruit Processing (Drying and Canning). Fruit processing has been given every encouragement during the past year. _ Fruitdrying factories at Roxburgh and Alexandra have operated to full capacity during the 1941 season. Fruit-processing factories in the Nelson district have also worked to full capacity. Nurseries. During the year 605 nurseries were registered throughout the Dominion, a decrease of 6 registrations compared with last year. Market Gardening Industry. The past year has been an adverse one, and the production of vegetables has not been equal to former years. This, combined with other factors such as reduced man-power and an increase in the consuming public, has brought about a period of unprecedented high prices for vegetables. The weather has contributed to the decrease in production, and the reduction in the quantity of vegetables grown by home gardeners has caused an additional drain on the already over-burdened market. The outlook in regard to vegetable-production appears unsettled. Representatives of the industry continue to advoc.ate registration as a means of stabilizing the position. Viticulture. Wine and Cider making.—The industries associated with grape-growing continue to make steady progress, although some slowing up has been experienced in the number of glasshouses being built for indoor grape-production. The replanting of a number of the older vineyards has also been postponed owing to labour difficulties and the generally unsettled conditions. Crops of grapes, of both table and wine sorts, were good, and growers with heated houses 1 were able to produce grapes for the market as late as August. Pests and diseases of vines and grapes have been effectively controlled and have caused no loss of crops. A number of winemakers have added to and brought up to date their premises during the year, and have installed modern machinery for winemaking. Three further distillation licenses were issued. Tc Kauwhata Horticultural Station,. —The new distillery at the Te Kauwhata Horticultural Station has now been completed and is in operation. Work is progressing well on the fermentation block, which will bring the project to completion. Modern winemaking machinery is being installed and should be in operation for next vintage. The crop of grapes this season was 37 tons. Another successful year was experienced in the sale of wines from the Station, and the demand at times exceeded the matured wine available. Tobacco Industry. The tobacco industry made marked progress in the 1940-41 season. The acreage grown was 2,963, which yielded a crop of 3,143,3551b. Efforts have been made to secure an increased acreage to provide for a larger usage of New Zealand leaf in manufactured tobacco in the future, and, despite difficulties, an increase of 92 acres has been planted. The season has not been favourable for tobacco-growing, and some frost damage has occurred. Hop-growing. The rather cold season has resulted in a decrease in the production of hops from 3,560 bales last season to 3,000 bales this season, from a stable area of 650 acres. The Beekeeping Industry. Owing to weather conditions adversely affecting nectar secretion, the past honey season has been an unprofitable one for beekeepers, with the exception of the Canterbury district and parts of the Auckland area, where the crops were a little below normal. Crops of honey made available for marketing purposes are of excellent quality. Although some curtailment in the disease-inspection service has been necessary, a high standard of cleanliness has been maintained by the industry.

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