CITY FRUIT MARKETS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1419, 20 April 1912, Page 8

CITY FRUIT MARKETS.

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT IN HEAVY SUPPLY. Values for all lines at tho Blair and Allen Street markets havo been exceptionally low during the present week. Heavy consignments of apples and pears have been coining forward from the Hnwke's Bay and Motueka. Choice cooking apples have sold at from 3s. Gd. to •Is. (id. per case; choico dessert at 4s. Gd. to 75., and inferior and roughly-packed lots realised much lower rates. * Grapes are still coming forward from Nelson and well-conditioned offerings sold at Ud. to Is. per lb. Small and inferior lots brought sd. to Gd. The bulk of the tomato supplies are finished, only small consignments coining to hand. As a result prices havo advanced, values yesterday being 3s. to 4s. (id. per half-case. Quince's are fairly plentiful at 3s. to Is. per bushel case. Nelson-grown passion fruit sold yesterday at -Is. to ss. per half-case. Peaches from Motueka aro still coming lorward in small lots, but values aro not very high. Some fairly good samples sold yesterday at 2s. Gd. to 3s. A few plums aro also coming forward, and are realising 2s. Gd. to 3s. per half-case. The market is full to overflowing with pears from Canterbury, and the demand is verv poor, first-class dessert sorts aro only bringing ss. to 75., and the bulk a reselling at from 3s. to is. Cape gooseberries are in good demand at id. to sd. per lb.

The Ulimaroa, from Sydney, brought a small consignment of pineapples, passion fruit, and pie-melons. Queen pines met with a good sale at 10s. to 155., but tho ordinary rough pines, landed mostly in bad order, and sold at 6s. to 10s. Passion fruit in half-cases brought ss. to Gs. Gd., and pie-melons 'quitted at Is. to 'Is.! Gd. .each. The market has been baro of lemons for some, time, and some very ■high, prices have been realised for tho few Messenas ccming forward. Further supplies are not expected until about the •end of tho month. .At present half-case? are worth 20s. to 255. Island oranges sold in the early part of the week at Bs. per 3-inch case. Persimmons are now coming to hand, and a few were sold during the week at is. to ss. per half-case. Tho market is well supplied with vegetables of all descriptions, and every line is selling at low rates. Cabbages arc only bringing Gd. to Is. Gil. per sack, and cauliflowers have been bringing from Is. to Gs. during the wholo week. Yesterday, however, an extra choice lot grown at the Hutt -realised up to lis. Half-sacks of French beans are worth 'Is. to Gs. Other prices are:—Beetroot, 2s. Gd. sack; parsnips, 3s. to 45.; carrots, 2s. to 3s. Gd.; whito turnips, Is. to Is. Gd.; swedes, 2s. to 2s. 9d.; lettuce, Is. case; celery, 2s. to 4s. per dozen heads; pumpkins, 3*s. to -is. sack; marrows, 2s. to 2s. 9d. sack; local onions, 4s. Gd. to ss. Gd. per cwt. Fresh eggs are worth Is. lOd. per dozen, and preserved eggs Is. 3d. per dozen. The demand for pdultry remains poor. Mixed hens bring 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d.; and ducks, 3s. Gd. to 4s. Gd. DAIRY PRODUCE EXPORTS. SHIPMENT BY THE ATHENIC. The last big shipment of butter for London for tho present season.was made by the Athenic, which took away IJ,IGO boxes, as well as 14,022 crates of cheese. Details of the shipment ore as under:— Boxes Crates Port. Butter. Cheese. Auckland 5,!12G 103 New Plymouth 5,755 2,014 Patoa 1,063 4,526 Wanganui G9 Gl Wellington ... 1,347 3,381 Lyttelton '..,., — 26G Dunedin — 710 Bluff - 2,901 ' Total 14,100 14,022'