THE APPLE INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1469, 18 June 1912, Page 8

THE APPLE INDUSTRY.

NELSON'S RECENT EXPORT SHIPMENT. ■■ . / AN EXPERT'S OPINION. ' - Advices received by the last. English mail in reference to the auction sales of the New Zealand apples .shipped from jS'eisou by the steamer Kaipara state that the shipment arrived in London on April '29, and was sold the following day. Writing,under date May 1, Mr. H. C. Jacka, formerly of Stoke, who is at present iu j England, say-sir-. ~ ; "I was in London yesterday judging the shipment' of Nelson apples, and I am tending you a report'and the sale, list, which I.don't think will bo very satisfactory. Of course I had very little time, only about two hours, and not much Toom. All the buyers were looking at them at the same time. I should have liked a day at least to give a proper report. They sell the apples by sample, a case, or two of each kind being taken out, which I don't think is a very good plan, but they have-so many to sell I suppose they could -not, do it any other way. You will tee by the account sales that tho prices did not altogether agree with my judgment, but you will also see that most of the apples were green, and that was so, and I wonder how they brought tho price they did. ' They were just as green as when they were picked off (he trees;; A lot of them were badly shrivelled (Jonathans), and a lot badly sorted. I saw many with grub holes in them, and plenty with black spot. I. do not think that the grading is.so important so long as the fruit is good and solid. I.notice •that all the matured fruit that has been put in tlie cases when fit to pick and turning yellow arrived in the best condition and the least bruised. The ripest Muuro's wore the best, and looked quite fresh. The same with the London Pippins. -The small green Londons came out just as green as when they were put in the cases and the same all through. The Alfristons were the saine. The large yellowish one? turned out the best, and some of them brought a very good price. The riper the fruit the better they turned out'. The reason I put it down to was that the green fruit shrank, and allowed too much phiy in the cases, and the handling knock■ed'them about. The full grown Cleopatras turned out well. Most of the Jonathans were on the green side, and were slrrivel- • loci. A good,many of tlie apples had developed bitter pit.' I thing it a great mistake shipping the apples too green. I don't think there is any such hurry to get them here. You cannot get- them as early as the"West Australian growers. They had apples in March, and they send beautiful fruit; not graded much better than New Zealand, but all the fruit is sound, ripe; and hard. I think the Tasmanian apples-, are. rubbish, and they are not bringing so much as the New Zealand apples. I'he case of Vicar of AVinkScld pears arrived just the same as they were picked off Ihe tree, a little on the. green side, but all right, and I think they brought Bs. fid. All the other kinds of pears were rotten. . . . London is now glutted with appl&s. Everyone, is trying to get them Home in such a hurrv. As long as you send unripe fruit von will never get a price for it. Mv teeth arc all on edge trying them; 1 "can hardly shut- my mouth. I may say that the■ condition of the apples so far as the carriage in the steamer was concerned is all right. They were quita drv. There was a ease or two of your anples marked "Cel."-(Celini, an early dessert apple)—in a very bad state. They were the only ones that looked anything like being" frozen, but they looked a rerv soft apple My idea is that it is no good sending unripe apples; you will never get a payable price for them, the brokers .were all very good to me, and helped me all they could, and gave me a free hand."

BROKERS' GENERAL REMARKS. The condili.ui of the fruit on arrival ■showed a marked improvement on previous shipments, and proper care must have been exercised by the engineers in attending to the temperature, of the cool cl.nm.- ' \\'c consider that the fruit, was delivered in a satisfactory condition. Most of the fruit was green, somo even immature. This was unfortunate, for immature, fruit bruises quickly. The apples being gathered green were wanting in flavour. Four'cases-Jung David apples—these were of medium size and colour, but rather soft. Wo do not consider it a good apple for this market. Pear-! —One case Vicar of YVmkiield realised Bs. 3d. The 11 cases of Confer- | once pears arrived in l>ad condition. It is not advisable to ship soft pears under the same conditions as apples. _ Prices wore not good for the tollc-wing reasons:— ' - .. ~ 1 The apple.season opened while the coal strike was in full suing, and goods tratlii- on niilwuvs was very disorgi insert, so that Inivers Veio nervous, owing to (he Ulieertaiiilv of gelling their purchases to their customers in the country. •' During this period the quantities arriving from Australia and Tasmania were verv henvv. and unfortunately there no re stii'i "<iud'stocks of iValifornwn and even Nova Scotia apples on the market. 3. To make matters still worse the Jasmnnian shippers who lost heavily nst year through sending their apples too la to dispatched their fruit this year too early, before it was properly matured. Ills immature fruit does harm to tlie tiadc generally. .

".\ flow of words is no proof of wisdom." but it if «• positive fact that, the How ot ■whev which tnlces place when cheese factory managers use "Victor Vats tends to tho improvement of the cheese, lull particulars and copies of testimonials from ■the niakei, A. J. Tarton, Registered Plumber, Caltertoa*