THE AUCKLAND STRAWBERRY MARKET

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1728, 30 December 1887, Page 3

THE AUCKLAND STRAWBERRY MARKET

[ 'New Zealand Herald."] Theory of " S rawborriee ! bne ripe strawberries !" haa now been eoholr g through our streoio for some time pas , and the fruit shops have been making » tempting display of this favorite berry, but probably the quantity oonsumed every day m Auckland during the peason hes not been realised by tie lovers ol straw- ' berries and cream. By the courtesy of ! Mr B. Dawson we have been supplied with some figures whioh will show tho I strawbarry-oonßuming capacity of the ' inhabitants of Auokland There are m all about 200 acros planted In strawberries, the .largest portion of this area being ct 1 Norfheote, m this district there are about 80 growers, the average area belrg 2 aores m eaoh farm. One of the largeat, belonging to Mr Thompson, consists of about 5 acres. The Devonport district grows only a comparatively small quantity, I while on this aide there are only two or three large growers. Mr W, Mason, lof Ponsonby, la one of the largest I He haa 18 acres under crop, and for a long time past haß supplied from 5v,0 to 600 boxes dally. He employs 40 boys to piok the fruit, and he has a " tln-oan band " to frighten away birda and other fruit stealers. The season, which began this year about the 15th of October, Is fully five weeks late, strawberries In former years being often ln the market m the beginning of September. Tbe orop this year, has been a very large one, the average be'ng about 40 quit I per acre per day ; some firms have given a larger yield than this, and some less. The average weight of a quart of strawberries is 23-z. This gives us 11,6001 b, or rather over five tons of strawberries, which together with several tons of oream and sugar, makes a nice little plateful to be eaten by tbe Auokland publio every day. Reckoning the prioe of strawberries at 6d per quart this Industry has returned to the growers the very handsome dividend of £200 per day as the gross receipts during the season. Another way to look at It Is that during tbe season every aore undo* strawberries has given a gross return of £1 per day. Mr W. Thompson, of Northcite, informs ua that the Industry is a moat flourishing one. He saya : — *'l havo been m the trade for fifteen years. I have increased my area every year, and every year the demand has been greater than the supply. I have jaat received an order for ten dozen b!>xeß, and my weekly output h»-s averaged 1000 boxes. I have a family of eleven, and we do all the work ourselves The Btrawborrlos »r« usually sent to market by the 7.30 and 8.30 am. boats, but many growers send over twion a day. The freight is very reasonable, 200 quarts ate allowed free every week to eaoh grower, and 9i per 100 quarts is charged*-for all quantities above tbat. This allows a •mall beginner to market his fruit frre of cost, and does not injure the largo growers. For any quantity which I lil<e to send to tho jam factories I can g<t from 2d to 2_J a p >und " Although not so popular as strawberries, ther a are many other small fruits whioh bring m very acceptable dividends to the growers.

Forty-six designs for the Centennial State Houbo at Sydney have been sent m, but none of thorn apparently come within the estimate, The Chinese havo beon evicted from Welhbwken, New Jersey, the first instance of tbe kind known m tho Eastern States. The Government ol New South Wales have received no fewer than 388 inventions for the destruction of rabbits from claimants of the £20,000 bonus.