H.—29

Fruit Cool Storage. Cool stores in various parts of New Zealand have continued to avail themselves of the information that has been secured over the past six years on the subject of the optimum storage conditions for various kinds of fruit. The investigations into the control in cool stores of the apple-disease known as flesh-collapse have proceeded very satisfactorily this year. At Motueka the close adherence to a definitely prescribed storage programme for the production of optimum conditions for apples and pears was followed by exceptionally good results. The directors of the local storage company, reporting to their shareholders on the work of the year, stated : " The question of practical immunity from flesh-collapse is possibly the only subject calling for special mention in our report. You are aware that for some years flesh-collapse in apples, particularly Sturmers, has been prevalent throughout New Zealand, causing considerable loss. We are fortunate in the fact that no such loss was experienced at your cool stores during the past year." In the course of this work valuable records of temperature and humidity were secured, and new light obtained upon the relative susceptibility to flesh-collapse of different varieties of fruit. The special problems relating to the storage of fruit in transit to oversea markets have been fully reported upon to the Cool Storage and Transport Committee, a body set up by the Fruit Control Board in 1925 to advise as to the treatment of export fruit. At the instance of the Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Association experiments on a large scale have been commenced with Hawke's Bay fruit stored in Auckland cool stores. Photography. During the year photographic work was carried out for all sections of the Department, there being an increase in the demand for lantern-slides for instructional work : 1,349 slides were made. The routine work includes prints, 5,762 (mainly reproduction) ; photographs, 1,300, covering a wide range of agricultural subjects ; and enlargements, 48. Practically all the negatives in possession of the Department have now been recorded. Staff. I desire to thank all members of the staff for their cordial co-operation in the carrying-out of the many and varied phases of the work coming within the scope of the Division.

6—H. 29.

41