THE FRUIT SEASON.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2755, 9 March 1910, Page 2

THE FRUIT SEASON.

CONDITIONS AND PROSPECTS. CANNING FACTORIES WANTED. Speaking of th 0 fruit season to a New Zealand “Herald’ 4 reporter last week, Mr. Arthur Tooman, of the well-known auctioneering firm, said the fruit markets this, season had been generally well supplied, and the quality of fruit sent lor ward by growers as a whole had been very satisfactory. Unfortunately for Auckland growers, the increased production in such districts as Hawke’s Bay and Nelson has had the effect of cutting local growers out of what was formerly good outside markets. The easy transit afforded to Hawke’s Bay has almost prevented Auckland growers from competing with them in tlic Wellington Markets, and this has had the. effect of putting a larger quantity of fruit on the local market than would otherwise have been the case.

There had been a general shortage throughout the province of stoned fruits, as compared with former seasons. and this has been fortunate, since the factory operations had' been very small indeed, owing to the. large stock of pulps held over from last season. The pear crop was a record one for the province, and the supply of superior Bon Chretiens had been exceptionally heavy. The weather during the past week had a bad effect on perishable Lues, and brought prices down lower tb.au usual. Apples, too, had been w.morous this season. Dessert voriet.w wore selling at lower rates than last year, but the supply of prime cooking sorts had been below requirements. There had been a record crop of nectarines, which throughout had been sold at high prices. Growers of grapes under glass had had a trying season, and practically none of the grapes thus grown had come forward of sufficiently good color to command high prices. The outdoor crop of grapes was now being put on the market, and their coining into competition with Bon Chretien pears meant that only a limited number could bo placed, and ruling prices are low. Owing to the largo quantity of outdoor grapes now under cultivation, the assistance of wine factories was required, and failing these, large quantities must, in future, become unsaleable. A few shipments of grapes arrived from Queensland in the. early part of the season, but after all expenses had boon paid the results were not sufficient to warrant further consignments. Even by this week’s steamer from Sydney there arrived a shipment of grapes from "West Maitland, and owing to the plentiful supply these did not more than clear the cost of duty and other charges. It was expected when the prohibition on imported grapes was re. moved, some two seasons ago, that our market would be glutted with imported lines, but experiments made by South Australia in this direction did not warrant farther shipments during the past <ti' season. .. -, Passion fruit has come forward out of its usual season, and at the present time is not saleable at a price which will warrant sending it to the market. . “I expect,” concluded Mr. .tooman, “that from this time forward there will bo a sufficient supply of fruit to warrant the establishment of canning factories, and unless the assistance nt these factories is forthcoming, we will short!- find poaches and pears being produced in quantities beyond the payable demand of local markets unrortunatcly wc do not appear to bo able to. produce apricots in sufficient quantities for canning, but I feci sure wc will have, from this time forward, a sufficient quantity, of peaches and pears to encourage canning on a large scale.