FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 139, 9 December 1929, Page 14

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

The Director of the Horticulture Division has received the following report of the Wellington district from the fruit inspectors of locally-grown fruit and vegetables in shops and auction rooms and the market condition* for the month of November. Only small quantities of apples, ex cool stores, have been available during the month under review, the quality and tondition of these being only fair. The supply, however, has been augmented by moderate quantities of Canadian and Oregon, apples, which arrived in good condition and were readily disposed of; the fruit being well coloured, becoming available just when the New Zealand Delicious is finished, meeting the retailers' demand for highly coloured apples with which to stock their shop windows. Winter Cole pears were finished early in the month, Winter i Nelis, P. Barry, and L'lnconnue still holding out. Strawberries are daily becoming more plentiful, the source of supply being mainly Auckland, Nelson, and Otaki. The quality and condition on arrival have so far been good. Cherries of excellent quality, for which there is a keen demand, have been coming to hand daily. Cherry plums have made their appearance on the market, but were by no means attractive owing to their being tasteless and immature. A plentiful supply of vegetables, both root and green, have been available during the month, with the exception of swede turnips and green peas. The latter are much later this season with only moderate quantities available. Hothouse to-! matoes are now becoming more free in Fupply with prices correspondingly easier .New potatoes were .in restricted supply during the ea^ly part of the month, but during the later part large quantities were received on the Wellington mar k et from the Auckland district, resulting in a somewhat sudden decline in prices. Californiau onions, se-eral shipments of which have recently come to hand has resulted in an over-suppr.ly, consequently the market has become practically stagnant; although the quality and condition on arrival were excellent there is little demand. .Prices for apples ranged from 10s to 14s per casefor pears from ]0s to ISs; and (L'lnconnue) from 8a to 9s; cherries, 14s to 18s per ten pound bos; strawberries, Is 6d to 2s 6d per punnet.