TASMANIAN APPLE SEASON.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1638, 3 January 1913, Page 8

TASMANIAN APPLE SEASON.

v i A SET-BACK THREAT]"NED ' ' Fruitgrowers will .be interested to learn from 'U'jwrts front, Australia; ;'that not for ■ -many years has the Tttsriianiau apple crop JresiiitecT'so. disapi>ointingly.a#it;pfoniiseii ( tq prove "during the export switm about . to begin.:: Showery, l unfayourable. weath'er ,'prevaile<l when..the fruit' wa3 setting, and ■tatdiug exporters, - after making careful inquiriet r iliava .estimated'there will te.a i shortage' in the ; total, e-xpocts of ..the. State. ~pt fcojiifi -v'j'XmO-. I'jns > in-spito-.of : ,the';,fact -,that :e«wli j;<>ar new areas como .-i nto ■ 'bsaring. -. Last .feasony ■ slripmohts.; to ;jthc®n.itE<l Kingdom-amounted- to between ;750,()00,'ani{ .800,000 cases; twhilst a growing America..; been made -for-tho-latter'to absorb somo, 150)000 cases !during tho sX>ming autumn, aad that quan- • tity will probably bo ei>nt. Tasmantan ■ gro'frerg do not espect. a tepetitioi of last jcar's low pnccs, lvlien the crop-arrived :market- disargailissd ;with the ' ooiil' : strike,'.and' some iistajicoa labour'' ■ was not avaiVbl© to unload the vessels; but'there is no probability of a generalAustralian shortage tending to force prices •up to a very high level... . ■. spite of the-induiiry .being threaten•cd with somewhat-of;a ;sst-back by; Reason .of th<(,,ndturo: bf! tJic croji: , 'iiow on the .trees,'. Tnsmaaiari. orchnrdists'; .nre'-ener-igeticaily reaching out for' nciv markets. . , . ' .Officials ot the -Victoriah-'.Agricultiirali Department estimate that,4oo,ooo cases of -fruit.will.bo.exported .;from-Victoria this If/the estimato, is realised, , this season's., exports "will; ; '.be considerably, Jit"pdvitncC'pf 'aTiy year. .Tn>l9Jl tho exports l were represented by only 11,049 cases, ,but. last'season 805,000 oases' were sent awoy. •' It'; is cxpwtcd that the first shipment: wiO be dispatched to-. ..wiirds tho.end of January.* The' initial •ishipinent last season was niado bn'lYjbraory,3..: Theroare good.prospcote of-ajery ..favourable season bei'ng experienced. : Be■ports which havo reached tne Department .'go tto show : that there mil; bo -a-.heavy crop of poors and a'good avcragG crop of apple's, but that peaches,'; apricots, and plums will be fairly light. / Ih'New South Wales tho fruit crops art reported to lje light this season. :, Tho .present- eeason.'iii New. Zealand, according to Mr. -.W-, A;. Boucher, ;of tho Department: of Agriculture, will not bo a heavy.:,-one for apples, :bufc' there is every vindication 'that growers-.will be .able, to ,filir.big .orders-,for export, <utd-«s the consumption 6f fruit in: South America is so extensive, tho- establishment' of a regular export trade, Mr. Boucher thinks, will be 'of great assistanoe: in deTOloping 'the industry, hero. He remarked that, the gum lands north of Auckland'wero turning out .well for'apple groiviug.just. as they had done around Henderson, Waikumeto.'and other places near-Auckland. He predicted that the. fruitgrowing;:industry will, grow ,to,.a big thing before many, years .havo pr.ssed. It is probable that crrongeinents for a first shipment this season to the Argentine will be made during Fcbruary. " -. '■ ' ■:■■■■-. ~

'■..With regard to the smaller fruit,. Mr. Boucher says . that ,tho prevailing dry weather, has so far not affected anything but sfcrawbern.es. These being surface feeders,.felt the of moisture.