DISPOSING OF FRUIT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1748, 13 May 1913, Page 8

DISPOSING OF FRUIT.

OPINIONS OF AN EXPERT. Dealing with the question of disposing of fruit once the grower has it on the trees, Mr. Courtier, one of the Government fruit experts had the following to say to the representative' of a southern paper:—"The grower should take great care to pick, grade, and pack properly. Up-to-dato cases sl\ould bo used, the 'dump' or-bushel case being my favourite for export apples. For exporting pears 1 like three trays clcated together. The pears lie in single rows, and do not get damaged, and the cost is very little more. The cases cost 6(d. cach; an averago man will ,pack from 60 to 120 per day, his being 7s. to Bs. per day. Woodwool and .wrapping paper, branding, etc., will bring the cost of packing to about lOd. per case. Tho fruit may be sold privately, by auction in tho local market, disposed of outright to agents who export, or exported on his own account by the grower to tho order of foreign buyer? or as a speculation. Up to the .present, the trade With the United Kingdom has not been so brilliantly successful as I should havo liked to see. though I think there are still big possibilities. More care must be taken to grow and send Home good quality varieties that keep well, and are landed in first-rate condition. The last shipment or so were not landed very, well, but the last season'!" oue was, and its failure to Toaliso what it should, and would have done under other circumstances, was due to the strikes and labour troubles at Home, and tho dislocated state of the market at the time. There appears to be every prospect of opening up an excellent trade with South America in apples and pears, and I know of some big orders for apples, running into 20,000 cases or so, at ss. Od. per case, that are being placed in the •Dominion. Now Zenland has a big area of very suitable country for fruit-grow-ing, and the trade is capable of big expansion, although, of course, there is obviously a limit. If I was going in for starting a commercial orchard, I should feel inclined to get cheaper land, farther out, but near a railway. As rail charges are now. it does not matter whether the fruit is carried 20 miles or 300; the charge is sixpence a case. It is cheaper to grow fruit on X2O an. acre land or less, than when you pay .£l2O per acre."