The Export of Apples.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 30 June 1891, Page 2

The Export of Apples.

: • The sale of the trial shipment of apples in London forwarded from the Styx Company, has produced some excitement amongst orchardists. The top prices, twenty four shillings a case, sounds very profitable, but it is more than possible a higher price was given to test the sample than would be obtained under other circumstances, The trial shipment consisted of ninety-eight cases which realised, nett, £81 15_ ld, or an average of a little over three pence a pound weight iv the colony. Against this has to be set, the cost of the fruit, the packing and the delivery on board the Home steamer. ■ As the cases cost close upon six pence each, the packing something more, as each apple has to be separately wrapped in paper, tho grower must not look for more than three halfpence a pound clear, in fact the manager of the Styx Company says the growers should be satisfied with one penny a pound on the treea, and then they would receive a fair profit and it would enable the industry to be carried out on a large and remunerative scale, In this industry, as in others, it is imperative that care should be exercised, and the quality of all shipments kept up. Growers must keep themselves acquainted with the wauts of the. Home market, as not every kind will find a sale. '1 hough we hardly look forward, yet awhile, to anything like an export of this fruit from this district, we do not see that that is any reason why our dealings should not be carried on 'ocally on a similar footing, so that, when the time does come, we shall have nothing uncommon to prepare. All fruit appears to be sold by the bushel in London, therefore it would simplify business, if our apple cases were mado to contain that quantity. The standard bushel contains 2813 cubic inches, our boxes must therefore be 18 x 8 x 27 inches inside measurement, wliich gives 2808 cubic inches. They should be made of half-inch white pin_, dressed down to about threeeighths of an inch; two strips top and bottom three and three-quarter inches to allow half-an-inch for ventilation ; three strips four inches for sides, to allow for ventilation ; one inch ends, dressed also ; a half-inch centre or dividing board in each case. • We notice that in the packing of this trial shipment each apple was wrapped in tissue paper, and the cases were covered with brown paper inside. The 'agents speak in high terms of this method, and report that the fruit travelled well except where the temperature got too low and the fruit became frosted.