AUSTRALIAN GRAPES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 10

AUSTRALIAN GRAPES.

SHIPPERS DISSATISFIED. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, February 6. By the Moeraki 10-day 368 cases of grapes aimed. The quality of the fruit is said to be better than that, of the fiist shipment, which was sold at auction. Several crates of water melons shipped at Sydney went overboard during the storm which the steamer encountered. The pineapples shipped were injured owing to the rough weather experienced. A Wellington auctioneer to-day received the following memorandum regarding the shipments to date: — "Cable io hand. Ten shillings a case for grapes is no good to us, though, of course, it seems a lot of money ; but look at the expenses to come off! Tho Malaga and Muscat grapos (of which I 6ent a case of each as samples) cost 9s in Sydney, and if anyone in Wellington knows good grapes when seen they should have rushed these grapes at 8d a lb wholesale, which would have worked out, at 16s per case. To-day (Ist February) I send a shipment of choice Mu6cats in 121b fancy boxes, which must bring 8d per )b to clear my expenses. I don't think to-day's shipment will be large, as many were disappointed h"- the results of the initial sale at. Welli»°ton, and, as for Christchurch, the sales there were even worse. _ I reckon I lc«e Is a box en my first shipment to Wellington, and 3s 6d a box on the first shipment to Chrietchurch : so New Zealand, for all its big demand for grapes, is no good to Sydney shippers. A penny per lb duty and a penny per lb steamer freight is a ' knock-out.' "

The kerosene method of capturing fruitflies, from which so much was expected in Australia, is proving ineffectual this season, so that this last hope of the orchardist has gone. The pest is now attacking even the wild plums of New South Wales, and generally is becoming 1 more destructive to Commonwealth fruit crops each year.