FRIMLEY FRUIT FARM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 487, 21 April 1909, Page 5

FRIMLEY FRUIT FARM.

A RECORD SEASON. Tho .wonderful possibilities ,:of Hawke's Bay as a fruit-growing district aro shown by tho' statement of Mr. Basil Jones, manager of tho well-known Frimley faotory, that the season, just ended has. been tho best which ho:has ever , knownj and'yet tho supply was. not equal to tho demand. \ "Tho season generally," said Mr. Jones to a Dominion representative,': "has been one of plenty.. ■; This is cspeciaHy ; tjho case with reference to peaches,. apples, quinces, and, m • fact,!-all-: fruits, except' plums and - gooseberries, in which there has ;been a shortage. Peas have been a great production—once we considered that we .were doing well by turning out 700 cases of peas in a season, but this year wo have taken in 3000 cases, equal . ,w> 60,000 tins, and, sold: out.,; As;for .peaohes, ■ we have gone through twice as many, this ' season as-f in any two : previous,' years. I should put. down'the output at 20,000 cases,which'means 400,000 pounds in weight." ■ "' There are about 100 'miles of peach .trees in the Frimley district, and the yield thereforecan. bo estimated at '4000 .'pounds . of. peaches per milo. 1

The coossberry Shortage. Mr. . Jones stated that thero '. were. " not nearly enough gooseberries to meet the d<fc . mind. Ho lad about 3000 trees .planted '.at Frimley, but tho shortage was with tho other 'oorohardistsi -7 It .appears . before■ tho erection of,tho factory, gooseberries were not. - looked upon as a payable* concern by growers, ; > vj and. .they uprooted tho ;trees. The result is that.-at thb. : prcsent. time, . Mr. .Tories could do with another twenty tons .of' this fruit-, which ho cannot obtain. ; • The Bost Paying Fruit. . : . tb 'what .ho considered to bo tho best paying, fruit;-, Mr. Jones .found it difficult--1 "to s answor. -Tho industry just now was only : in iits infancy. >, At Frimley they wore growing more peaches and apples than anything . . dlso, and -no doubt at' tho .present" time' there . was more money in the big peaoh orchards thin" in" any- other fruit.: -Apples also paid very well. Quinces:would possibly, bo a paying fruit, .only -they did not sell so well as peaches, apples, apricots,; or poars. ; Canning. Mr. Jones was enthusiastic over tho growth : of tho canning industry."lt is going ahead by leaps'andbounds,"-ho said; "there is no • stop to.it. ..Wo havo' ; put.through.soo tons tliis season, and wo have .another 30,000 'or 40,000 cases ready now-for market. This ■ output is • moro than"doublof that ,of -last . year. - We Have American competitionj .which - undersells: us; . :but - had;-.we :*more : fruit;'tho article would have , fewer _ohances than it has now;:; Of. course; it is fairly, well known that the Galifornians only send their Burplus • stock over hero, and in order to undersell us it is sent'in water, and.not.-in .- the heavy sugar syrups 'with which .ours is packed. And : although Aero: is aheavy duty on the foreign article, we are- handicapped by labour conditions and . railway freights. Still, it cannot be gainsaid' that we are more than holding our own.-., Peoplo ■ are asking for., our canned goods, and like 1 the :boy .in.;tho .bath, reaching for the soap : they mil bo happy until they got it." Mr. Jones ; went on to say that although Frimley turned . out: 750,000 tins of canned fruit every year,, that was not- equal to one tin per. day 'sour:.:-.' New \ Zealand v population.; - There wero thus , greater possi- ' :7'Jjihtira.,for',<th'e: : ; tra^ canning factory itself, it appeared from Mr. ; . Jones's - statements: that • extensions -to . the buildings are required i.-factory ■ space has been eaten up, and at tho present . time the 'box-making was being conducted in . improvised -tents.- New, maohinory had'been - ord ore d J r and more would be -required .to'copo with;tho Work';■ ;I''./.i.,V-- -v ■' "7 .

A Wonderful . Machine, A fine machine just , being put together was x shown to our representative. One has read : ,of the live pig entering one end of one of ; 'Armour's Chicagb: premises and coming out .•the other,endj no'fonger pig, : bufc' something else. Tho new ■ tin-making machine ■ at Frimley effects a not dissimilar change. A v. sheet of tin "is put in. at ode end, and; after • being subjected to wonderful ■ automatic ; usage, comes, out the-others end -the-finished . article, rounded, soldered, topped, and ! bottomed,, all ready for. the reception 'of canned fruit, vegetables, or jam,', as the case may bo. Eight thousand ; tins por day can be turned out.- This: machine, which cost £800, is the only one of its kind at v present in New Zealand. • Future of the Industry.. : ■ Speaking with' reference to tho future of ' the industry, Mr. Jones said that: it: would .' progress all right. if it .wero not ruined b/ Government, conditions' which 1 1 might show.-'a disregard for the/ interests •of . the'employer.' In this respect hi) mentioned that this week he had had practically to i close down' his factory at a day's notice.so that his boilers might . be.. subjected to tho annual Government inspection. His perishable fruit was ■ lying idle, his hands disengaged, and a: total I loss of £70 sustained through this l procedure at an inopportune time. He did. not object /to the .. boiler inspection/ but why, he argued, should not tho authorities see that it was ./hold in/jthe;.slack",timevof .the'/factoi7, :; ;Vsay June or. July, instead of tho busy period?