THE FRUIT CROP.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 4, 15 April 1913, Page 439

THE FRUIT CROP.

Ihe Officers of the Orchards, Gardens, and Apiaries Division report as follows on the condition of the fruit crop at the end of March : Whangarei.—Apples, medium crop. Lemons looking well. . Pears heavy; main crop finished. Tomatoes nearly finished; no sign of blight. Oranges, promise of an average crop— J. W. Collard. Auckland North.— good crop. Lemons, crop looking well. Peaches nearly over. Pears, good crop. Plums practically finished. Tomatoes, crop finished.— W. C. Thompson. Auckland South.. Apples, only late varieties left; fair crop. Pears almost done. Nectarines, crop finished. Peaches, crop finished. Tomatoes, still good picking ; free from blight.— N. R. Pierce. ' ' . Hamilton.—, Apples still in fair supply; prices for good grades higher than usual. Lemons very scarce ; young fruit developing well. Nectarines all harvested.* Peaches getting scarce. Pears, late crops still’to harvest ; prices are very firm. Plums (English), practically all harvested. Plums (Japanese), all harvested; have realized higher prices than usual. Tomatoes, fair crop ; these are of extra-good quality and free from disease. Walnuts, light crop.— T. E. Rodda. Poverty Bay. Apples, crop below average ; dry summer is bringing late varieties to maturity long before their usual season, and large quantities rendered unmarketable owing to the ravages of codlin-moth where spraying neglected. Lemons, poor crop. Peaches, late crops good, now almost over. Pears, good crop; same remarks as to apples. Tomatoes, good crop. -Walnuts, good average crop; an extra heavy crop would have been harvested but for the severe attack of bacteriosis.— W. R. Williams.

. Manawatu and Wairarapa.—Apples, medium crop ; late varieties better than anticipated. Pears, fairly good crop ; fetching good prices in market; some varieties attacked with black-spot. Tomatoes, average crop; very cheap lately • glut in market; very little disease.— Stratford. * • & t Hastings. Apples, moderately good crop. Lemons, very little grown in district. Nectarines, season over. Peaches, season almost over; crops very heavy, size small; average prices satisfactory rust troublesome. Pears, heavy crops, good quality damaged by scab in early season. Plums, season over. Tomatoes, good average crop Walnuts, good crop. J. A. Campbell. Wellington. Apples, average crop. Pears, average to heavy crop. Plums crop finished. Tomtaoes, average crop.— T. C. Webb. Nelson.— good crop; crops picking as well as anticipated. Peaches, crop almost finished with the exception of a few going into canning-works and market. Pears, fair crop being picked. Plums, crop nearly finished ; a few cases of late red being sent away. Strawberries, second crop very poor. Tomatoes, mostly factory fruit now being gathered.— J. H. Thorp. Blenheim. Apples, medium crop ; looking very well, especially Jonathan, which arc very highly coloured. - Apricots, very light crop ; late frost in November cut nearly all fruit oft. Cherries, fair to medium; harvest completed. Lemons, good crop. Nectarines, light. Peaches, very light, owing to late frost; all picked except a few late varieties. Pears, fair average crop; some varieties badly damaged by scab, Plums (English), heavy crop, which is almost over. Plums (Japanese), medium crop, omatoes, good crop, ripening and growing well. Walnuts, heavy crop • lust commencing to gather a few.— B. G. Goodwin. Christchurch. Apples, good crop; a few. varieties slightly affected with black- 1 spot. Peaches, practically over. Pears, good crop; some damaged with pear-scab-riums, crop almost over. Tomatoes, good crop, still picking freely. Walnuts, light crop.— W. J. Courtier. r & j ’ &

Timaru. —Apples, main crop coming to hand ; the supplies are short of the demand, and consequently prices are good. Pears, supplies coming forward ; these are rather scabby, but not bad enough to warrant condemning. Tomatoes, heavy supplies, low prices ruling in consequence. Walnuts, good crop ; crop doing exceptionally well.— A. B. Mansfield. Dunedin.—Apples, good crop. Pears, good crop. Tomatoes, good crop. Walnuts, fair crop. W. T. Goodwin.