H—3oa,

Table 2

Table 3

During the war period major improvements were made in dehydration methods,, especially in Britain and the United States, and officers of the Division, acting in close association with officers of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, derived benefit from the experience of these countries and from local experiments and have succeeded in producing dehydrated products of high quality. Samples have been made available to sections of the public, and the comment has been most favourable. By agreement with Birdseye Food (N.Z.), Ltd., the Division undertook quickfreezing of peas and beans by the Birdseye system, the whole of this product being supplied to the United States Joint Purchasing Board for hospitals in the Pacific. This process, while relatively simple in operation, demands an exceptionally highquality standard, and the vegetable must be processed within a few hours of harvesting so that the garden freshness can be conserved in the stored article. The plant was completed in November, and by the end of March had processed—lb. Peas .. .. •. • • • • •• 72,922 Beans .. .. .. •• •• •• 115,429 Spinach .. .. .- •. • • •• 1 >155 Total 189,506 In addition, small experiments were carried out in strawberries, peaches, and eels. Canning has proved a most economic ancillary line to quick-freeze, and during the season 192,139 30 oz. tins of peas and 6,386 30 oz. tins of beans were produced. In addition, small experiments were made in the canning of peaches and pears.

23

Factory. Number of Contracts. Total Fresh Tonnage. Export. Dehydration. Canning and Quick-freeze. Markets: Fresh. Fresh. Trimmed. Fresh. Dehydrated Fresh. Process. Pukekohe Hastings Motueka Riccarton Totals .. 425 435 75 29,728 21,793 952 5,237 lb. 45,293,000 29,412,000 lb. 31,865,000 19,475,000 lb. 9,027,000 11,241,000 2,132,000 10,423,000 lb. 395,000 669,000 247,000 486,000 lb. 540,000 lb. 424,000 lb. 11,730,000' 8,164,000" 1,307,000* 935 57,710 74,705,000 51,340,000 32,823,000 1,797,000 540,000 424,000 21,201,000"

Commodity. Pukekohe. Hastings. Motueka. Riccarton. Total. Apples Beetroot Cabbages Carrots Kumaras Potatoes Totals lb. 83,678 278,032 33,600 lb. 208,226 77,120 53,615 197,557 132,931 lb. 246,832 lb. Illj 690 180,144 194,166 lb. 455,058 77,120 248,983 655,733 33,600 327,097 395,310 669,449 246,832 486,000 1,797,591