Fruit Crop Prospects.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 57, Issue 6, 20 December 1938, Page 495

Fruit Crop Prospects.

Summaries from Principal Districts.

Contributed by the Horticulture Division

» I ’HE Director of the Horticulture THE Director received the following Division has received the following reports from his officers regarding the fruit crop prospects at the end of October, 1938 : Auckland. Apples. -Good blossoming, and, under present conditions, should 'be a heavysetting. Pears. —-Indications of an excellent crop. Quinces. Good.. Peaches and Nectarines. of a heavy crop. Plums. — Light setting of most varieties. Lemons. — Very heavy crop still on trees ; very light blossoming. Oranges.— Heavy blossoming, with indications of a good crop. Strawberries.— Showing well. Tomatoes. lndoor, looking well ; extensive outdoor plantings. Hamilton. Apples.— Good showing on most varieties ; Cox’s Orange and Delicious lighter than last season. Pears.— Setting fair crops, lighter than last season. ■ ■ Peaches and' Nectarines. Heavy setting on most varieties. Plums. Japanese heavy ; English varieties light to moderate., Strawberries.- . . Gooseberries. Average. Tauranga. Apples. Jonathan good ; Dunn’s patchy ; Delicious patchy; Ballarats light. Peaches and Nectarines. Heavy. • Plums.— Good. Lemons and Oranges. —-Fair. Gisborne. Apples Blossoming of Delicious and Ballarat light, and crop likely to be below average. Heavy ' blossoming on Cox’s Orange and Sturmer. Patchy on other varieties. ■ Pears.— Average setting of fruit. Stone Fruits. Prospects of average to heavy crop. ! - Citrus Fruits. -Good prospects.

Hastings. Apples. Gravenstein light ; Cox’s Orange light ; Jonathan light; Dunn’s very light ; Delicious very light ; Sturmer normal Dougherty light ; other varieties medium ; Ballarat very light. Pears and Apricots Normal crops. Quinces and Cherries.— Good. Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums. Heavy. Lemons. Light. Palmerston North. Apples. — Medium crop generally ; Cox’s Orange light to medium ; Jonathan light ; Dunn’s light ; Delicious medium ; Sturmers heavy ; other varieties medium.

Pears.— Heavy. Plums. — Heavy. Other Stone Fruits. — Light. Masterton. Apples. — 85 per cent, of normal crop. Cox’s Orange good setting ; Jonathan and Dunn’s fair to \ good ; Stunner medium ; other varieties medium. Pears.— Normal crop setting well. Cherries. Heavy setting. ■Raspberries. Light crop. Gooseberries. Medium crop. Wanganui. Apples. Normal crop ; Stunners heavy ; Delicious good; other varieties average crop. Pears. Average crop. Tomatoes.— Glasshouse good. .

Nelson. Apples. -Gravenstein normal; Cox’s light; Jonathan good ; Dunn’s medium ; Delicious patchy, expect light crop ; Sturmer normal ; Dougherty good ; other varieties moderate to good ; Ballarat and Statesman light. Pears. Good ; Winter Nelis not setting well. . , Quinces and Tomatoes. Normal. Plums and Cherries. — Good. ' Peaches and Nectarines. Normal. Raspberries.— Normal development. Strawberries.— Showing well. Gooseberries.— Light. Mapua. Apples. Gravenstein fair to average ; Cox’s Orange very light to fair ; Jonathan normal to heavy; Dunn’s very light ; Delicious very light to average ; Sturmer normal to heavy ; Dougherty fair to average ; Statesman light to average ; other varieties fair to good. Pears. Average setting ; Winter Cole good ; Winter Nelis and Beurre Bose light to average. Motueka. Apples. — per cent, of normal crop ; Gravenstein good ; Cox’s fair ; Jonathan

good ; Dunn’s medium ; Delicious medium ; Sturmer good ; Doughertygood ; other varieties fair to good. Pears.— under average. Quinces. — Good. Peaches, Plums, and Cherries. — Fair to good. Nectarines, Apricots, and Raspberries. Fair. Blenheim. Apples. — Prospects of a slight increase in production over last year. Cox’s generally light ; Jonathan light to average ; Sturmer average to heavy ; Dougherty t average ; other varieties normal to heavy. Pears, Peaches, Nectarines, Cherries, and Raspberries.— Average to heavy. Quinces and Plums.—Light to average. Apricots.—Light. Strawberries .—Showing well. Gooseberries. Heavy. Tomatoes.- -Hothouse, heavy crop. Christchurch. Apples. Exceptionally heavy blossoming on all varieties. Pears. Heavy blossoming, indications of normal crop. Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Plums, and Cherries. Good crops. Raspberries and Strawberries .—Showing well.

Tomatoes.— Glasshouse, normal crops developing. Dunedin. Apples. Promise of exceptionally heavy crop. Pears. Promise of exceptionally heavy crop. Peaches and Nectarines. — Heavy. Apricots and Plums. — Good. Strawberries and Raspberries.— well. Alexandra. Apples. — Cox’s Orange normal ; Jonathan normal ; Dunn’s light ; Delicious light ; Sturmer heavy ; Dougherty normal ; other varieties normal. Pears,— -Promise of good crop in main varieties. Quinces.— Peaches and Nectarines. Promise of heavy crops. > Apricots. Heavy crops except in some instances where frost damage occurred. Plums. Heavy ; in some instances crop reduced by frost damage. Cherries. Heavy, but severe damage by frost in some orchards. Strawberries. Showing well ; reduced acreage this season. Tomatoes.— looking well.

Roxburgh. Apples.— heavy setting of fruit in all varieties ; Cleopatra and Dunn’s very heavy.

Pears. Heavy. , Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Plums, and Cherries. —Very heavy. Weather

conditions to date have been very favourable for all fruits, and, given a continuance of same, heavy crops are anticipated.