THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 23

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

THE CROP LN THE NORTH. (Fbom Oub Own Cobbesponbbnt.) AUCKLAND. January Iff. , The fruit industry, formed the subject of an interview yesterday with Mr W. A. Boucher, Government pomologist. MrBoucher has just returned to Auckland froma vißit to Hawke's Bay, where' he made acaTeful inspection of the orchards. The fruit industry in .Hawke's Bay, he says, is advancing by leaps and bounds, and on lines that are: thoroughly sound and satisfactory from every point of view. Tlie commercial orchards are thoroughly well worked, ,the pruning, spraying, manuring:, and cultivation being carried out in the" manner most desired. The output from the, Hawke's Bay district this season will, Mr. Boucher believes, be a record one. Peaches, especially, Trill be a heavy crop. This .is well demonstrated by the fact that .about two and a-ibalf months ago, when he visited the district (including- the Frimley orchard), all hands^ were commencing thin« ning operations, and this work was estimated to occupy fully six weeks. On the occasion of his last visit all hands wera equally busy gathering and _ marketing .a. heavy crop of peaches, and this will employ, a large staff for about three months^ The canning operations in Hawke's Bay, he added 1 , are ako in full swing, a very large' staff being already engaged, with the pros; pect of a further increase as ' the seasoij advances. f Very satisfactory progress ie being made .in the fruit commercial districts, and thi» Auckland province and Auckland' city, in conjunction with the south, should be well supplied this season with apples, pears, peaches, and,~to -jv leaser extent, with j-^lums. The latter, on -Account' of the -unfavourable, climatic conditions this season, will prove to be rather a- light crop "-It is -satisfactory, to know $bat the condition of the commercial orchards throughout the whole of the Nbrtih Island shows ~& marked improvement," said the pomologist, '"so that w<j may ho«se to have, ceason by season, an increase 1* production of clean, marketable fruk. This -elate of affairs would ua<

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doubtedly benefit both producer and coneumer." .. , "Mr Boucher said, he had considered the question of cool storage in regard to the fruit industry. " Later on," he says, ''we may hope to extend our season by placing any of .the summer surplus in cool storage; and eventually we may look forward in a hopeful' spirit to building up a valuable export trade." . - , "Do* you think- there 'is, any prospect of ' fruit becoming "cheaper" he was asked. "Decidedly, was the prompt repjy. " With the increased production and better methodß pf marketing *I see no reason why we should not get much cheaper fruit, and that at no distant date." " Are the transit facilities from the orchards to the fruit-consuming centres satisfactory? "The facilities themselves are not so bad. It is the method of handling that is unsatisJfaotory. We might take an example from California, where the fruit industry has reached such a high standard. Fruit .'n California is handled with extreme care. It is recognised there ac a valuable product. p,nd one. that de.teriora.tes very considerably whefi. it receives rough 'handling or other unnecessary usage in transit. In _ the Dominion, on. the '-other hand, fruit is handled, to &' very large extent, as any ordinary cargo mighb be, with the result that unless it is pioked very much op the green side, und very carefully and closely packed, considerable bruising: and deterioration in value take place in transit between the orchards and 1 market. It is to be hoped that 1 the time ,will oome — and soon, too,— when fruit will be regarded here, as it is now in California, as one v of the most imgtortanf products, and one- which should be fxmveyed from orchard to consumer as speedily and as carefully as possible." Mr Boucher further stated that if we had «. summer and autumn surplus wo could put it into aool et&ree for four months, and "the season <Sp4& be considerably with profit to the grower and 'Co the satisfaction of the consumer. That jtool storage will pay handsomely is evidenced by the fact that Mr Boucher saw £>n the Auckland wharves, some three ego, a case of imported -vpples that Sost 15s to land from Sydney. At 15b for \ case of apples, what musb the price be the consumer? The development of this ,

aspect of the indiistry seems to Mr Boucher to be an important consideration in the future advancement of fruit-growing. " One of tho principal difficulties at present met with in controlling the sale of ■moth-infected fruit is in dealing with hawkers," said' Mr Boucher. He made it clear that he did not care whether fruit was sold by hawkers' or from shops, his concern being that it should be free from disease. Each fruit inspector had &. large district to work, making it almost impossible for the inspector to remain for any length of time in any one centre. "It is illegal under the Orchard and Garden Pests Act to dispose of any mothinfected fruit in any way, and it is quite probable," added the pomologist, "that the department may find it necessary to take summary proceedings against anyone disposing of infected fruit without further preliminary notice."