Drought's noctunal raider

摘要

THIS is A STORY of drought, but it doesn't involve the usual daytime horrors of heat and thirst. It's all about frost, drought's nocturnal raider. It hit Maurice and Rien Silverstein's apple, pear, peach and apricot orchard at Shepparton East, Victoria, on 23 September last year. The Silversteins were banking on a 250-box harvest of apricots in 2006, but their fruit barely filled three plastic shopping bags.