THE MARKETING OF FRUIT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 749, 23 February 1910, Page 8

THE MARKETING OF FRUIT.

f( * A HEPLT. y; (By,:An; Occasional Contributor.) V; ; V ' " In' The Dominion of Monday a specially- ':^ v j5 u — I 1 r; : iExportatton - of/.Fruit,-';which makes re-erencey-fo the....trial; venture vor a.' ship- ' cases - apples' from Nelson ;yV v y' ?p. the 'London .market,;.: -The' v>Titer then ' ? t ,; * ;:off y arid • gives ' in.. esteriso ' the •v' V rfifeartlmg.' the •'disposal • of .4V, : , : J?) u |'^J^.^ e . :^Gw^•/^a^and > 'and^iulorevpar• ■•; W.ellingtbii- ' "•■' 'j. l stale ' arguments' arc 1 ngiin • '' /.V.P ; ' a( i hauseum; hiving • refeteiic e >y • fM ihe greed'of-tho avietioheer/the middle--y; ; r, iihanV;and.;,the retailer,; 'and> generalv dis•y": is 'expressed at:the ToVprices : y:C glow-, ruling. - liii alt.' debatable ' subjects, .is r just: asvWeU;'to- hear 'the'.other' side, PJ c f, e . the public may'fairly-judge' T (in. the.:arhcle 'are'fair'anil reasonable:' or " ' fono-sided - and . linj-ust. /' -vV ' : : At; a.' Wtain . portion of . the year the ' -has no- reason , to - complain .inthe .'local -m'ari: •Jtets/- agi-this;:periba enibracesj say, the sipriiH tot DecembcivVihclusiTe, (wbenrallvlocal-grown 'fairly 6- scarce,'. and the supply, is not too greatly - uera ! in(l 'ltiis-only7iu : ne nush. of the season, say, from January yj. ;March,- irhcn the' glut of perishable - pruit is-- so, great' that; prices "reach une fi-ntl for - this ; . unhappy,: / - te.of .affair s the local markets cannot -.- fbe: held responsible. . , . ' . Farmers and producers vill .well re;SK.::^W^'™?'rcohditi<WS>;s«rtWiii3% .the" anterior ; to', the ■ discb-jery.ibf (lexrigeration, which: certainly fcTOlutibnjjscd .'the ; industry; lkiore .: that • time . twcrity-five to commodity-, had rdbwn; or ..sell;' as.' fr'eshaiu :■%: : (the ■ of. the ."seasbii;<a'ad '.-luclcy • yras . ' . : mi'rehant who c«ild obtain''fouri).enco . jer pound : : :> fresh'jb'uttbr,' and: until a -itaiisliflsioTJiiii' ~ Bome.-inethod'oy,;which".-ilie^life' bf;.perishi' able-stoiie and Mother -(lolicato 'fruitsf eaif . ' be prolonged, so' long will- the era ;'of'low." : .K:': prices":;ahd : ;:glutted {markets;- continue ; in 1 " .the height of tlfe;^mte;Beaßl>l^.•.:v^^>■•;\ i .• i>;Y=..- 'Nojy;;it.'wbrd<iii';regar(i to tlie much-'- , ; . (fliscusse'd- question .of jbiirketing." jA's"one v 'Vv ./whb': lias-t-takeir.!hninterest I 'in the'-fruit- '- ' ftrade,: and' lvatchcd its development' frbm;l ' , . a tiny..'industry; until -a't J the present' timpi' ■v rthe; yield'.'of the'.Dominion, approaches, iii' ;:V.Talne .the' magnificent 'figures of Jil,OOQ,o(l9'; " y : ,jßterlirig,* ;I. say, : Y.uiihesitatihgly,' tliat-'al-' rtKough Xekoii is one 'of ', the oldest«'disj ! ;-. vj-ttrfots ,cbhhecbßd;. ; with the industry, , -... (broadly;- speaking,' oiie .of. t|ie most back-: . ward.': in its methods. ; . Take ; as ah. example, and for the sake' ':-v bfcomparison; :>the;.^^district vof Hawke's (Bay.' .-This /province: only - came ;into tlie :. 'vanga'ard';:as an -nctivo' cpmpetitoiv a" few. i short- years ago,'-' but::with , V^t^-'-;c'bmih , B• .'i',.•.' .arose avhew force iii -Truitgrowing.V Jtuch attentioii-lwas jiairt;'-lirst,- to the selection .of 'Suitable nothing' being' done laphazftd; .. '.the' 'geiieriil '.- jriarketing -. conditions/, received - : ,'serious consideration, -with the resultthat', the Hawke's;.Bay growers; amU'their'.iiiethods* are'|held -up:, as air oliject to other ... districts, : not only, by tlie. Department of ft r .-'Agriculture,'. and 'the.rliiblogis.t.' -but' also by, theTaactioncers,' wholesaleCnrtrcliaiits' :., .^'tind%«tailcvs,:',throughf-'whosti rTiaiids :thfe' : fruit; passes before reachin? the general public.

■ As :.a .general . principle, - ■ Bay .fruit t is .graded.,iuto;,.three classes,- ths boxes .'bomg - marked' "AV' "B,"-and "C," br' ijrst,-; second* .respectively, vitli the:'variety "of 'thc fruit, such''as ''peaches,'^'''plums,""pears,". . "apples," aud,,'so .oh, : .iieatly i ..stcncilled on-each box. ; Asiagainst:tliis~inodo a.few-up-to-date. growers) ; the Nelson shippers content'; themselves' .with one; grade . only, packingVrathcr; slovenly in. tightly-nailed; fboxes,'-.with ;iio", indication':■■ on'•' each ' case as tb *tha contents,, thus necessitating, in many 'instances,' the' breaking open,'oi the lids' in order to',gain;the .necessary' information,, at'r.the ; expense of. damage -to: the 'fruit by iu'iinecessaryrhandling' and knocking; about, ; to' stjy nothing;, of, the waste bf-.time'..:

:: ..Another, excellent' feature! in. connection .with : the':' up T to-date''.' methods of . the ,Hawke's.'BayV grower; , is," 'the fact , that periodically,-he makes' it his business to leave "his. orchard .'.and . visit: the,' markets .responsible for -disposal -of Y the fruit,-thus lie combs .into- toucli-v.-ith' his'market and /departs, for- home having; gathered inu'eh beneficial 'informatioii and garn'ered in,for future;use- "the; harvest of'■ the ■ quiet eye." "The majority o'fi -Nelson growers,' in.contradistinction,' stick like 'glue to their holdings,-and .'tlm sight of ;a number ofthem in- the precincts of the distributing markets would certainly:be a, circumstance to rejoice"' over, for it-is seldom indeed that one sees them there: ■

' Before girding; at the. .efforts of others, tlie' Nelson growers "should . ponder wdl .the improved;'condition's ruling in other and'- in-; regard .to . packing, grading, and- the mere: detailed attention to- marketing of. their fruit in a more attractive'.manner, . put "their ; house l in order." i t •. . . ." . .