FRUIT GROWING IN NEW ZEALAND.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2099, 15 November 1880, Page 4

FRUIT GROWING IN NEW ZEALAND.

TO THB BDXTOB OF THB PBEB3. Sib, —Referring to the subject of fruitgrowing in this colony, and by way of showing the inducement offered to our farmers for the pursuit of this industry, through the kindness of Alex. Rose, E*q,, the chief of the Customs department in this city and his subordinate officers, I have been enabled to gather from the records kept in this establishment the following facts, viz,:—ln the year 1878, the amount of green fruit imported into New Zealand was as follows :—103,600 packages, ■valued at £49,000, to which, when we add £10,360 for freight and expenses, shows a total of £59,360 spent by importers of this merchandise throughout the colony during that year. From calculations, I find about one-fifth of this quantity came to Lyttelton. That is to say, over 20,000 packages, representin value, witli freight added, over £12,000, came into Canterbury. These facts were gathered from the last printed records issued by the Customs department. The following aynopsis, taken from a reference to the manuscript accounts, which have not yet been published, will convey an idea of the quantities and kinds imported into Lyttelton during 1879 from New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania: — Tic- TasN S.W. toria. mania. For quarter ending— March 3,842 262 1160 June 3,602 40 516 Sept. 4,038 345 630 Dec. 1,426 45 262 Total ... 12,908 692 2568 Representing a grand total of 15,163 packages, valued at £7580, to which £1517 should be added for freight and expenses, thus making £9097 spent by importers in fruits brought into Canterbury during the last year. This is equal to £37,900 sent out of the colony for this commodity during the period above mentioned. When these figures are taken into consideration, with the foot of the geniality of the climate, together with the adaptability of the soil in the different parts of New Zealand for the successful cultivation of most of the fruits consumed amongst ns, the conclusion cannot but be significantly favorable to the result of capital and labour invested in this direction. It was only last week that our attention was called to the fact of the orange plant thriving well in the vicinity of Russell, and similar reports have reached ns of Tauranga as equally favorable to the growth of the lemon ; and of Nelson and Canterbury as successful apple growing districts, we are by DO means ignorant. Then why send so much money annually out of tho colony for an article that can be produced to equal perfection and at a much greater benefit to our country than the imported one ? Surely this if a subject worthy tho careful consideration of the industrial associations distributed throughout tho colony. Tours, &0., J. P. Oiitbb. P.B.—lt will be observed that there appears to bo a slight falling off in the quantity of fruit imported in 1879 as compared with that sent into the colony during the previous year. This fact is, I think, accounted for by the universal depression so keenly felt by na more than to the increase of fruit crops amongst us.