FRUIT MORE PLENTIFUL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1920, Page 4

FRUIT MORE PLENTIFUL.

GOOD SUPPLIES FROM NELSON. BIG CROP OF APPLES. The fruit market in Now Plymouth Is now considerably easier than it was a week or two ago. Supplies of most of the season's fruits are coming to hand freely, and the demand is very keen. Lower markets and plentiful supplies give a very promising outlook as regards , the fruit industry and trade. The bulk of the fruit is coming now from Nelion, though during the Christmas season Auckland was the chief contributing centre. Large quantities of cooking apples are on hund, mostly from California, though the New Zealand market is also supplying- a satisfactory amount. Large consignments have been received recently from Nelson, amongst them ! being grapes, which are selling at 2s 6d ( and 3s per lb, and apricots at Is. Plum* ■' are being retailed at 4d and Od per lb, whilst peaches are selling at 8d and Is, the dearer variety being preserves. Tomatoes are bringing Is (id per lb, and cucumbers 8d and 10d. Satisfactory supplies of black currants are now coming to hand from Nelson, and are selling at 104 per lb. There is a great demand for this fruit for jam-making. The fruit crop in the Auckland district promises well. The Auckland Star says that the early stone fruits which are in now are exceptionally light, owing tc> the very dry weather, and the late frost, which has caused a big proportion of the peach and plum crop to fall. There is, however, every prospect of a fairly heavy crop of late peaches, particularly such varieties as Paragon and Elberta. Bright prospects are also held in respect of the apple and pear crops. From districts ,in the farthest North, right down to Otago, according to an authority whose operations cover the whole of the Dominion, reports of good to heavy crops are forthcoming.

The fact that there is slapping 1 space available for the export of 00,000 cases of apples this year will not make any great difference to the total quantity, aR the Dominion crop this year will easily exceed last year's by from 200,000 to 300,000 cases. The general reason lor the increased yield this year is th# faet tliat most of the trees had a rest last year—the crop being very light—and, aa is always the case after a light, crop, a heavy one follows, and, further, thero are some thousands of acres of young orchards just coming into bearing, which will yield quite a fair crop this year. Grapes are likely to be abundant.