NEW ZEALAND FRUIT

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15279, 15 May 1915, Page 11

NEW ZEALAND FRUIT

SHIPMENT TO SA*\ FRANCISCO. AN TJNSUCCESSFTJTi VENTURE. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TEt-BGIU-V.) WELLINGTON, May 14. A recent mail from San Francisco brought the Department of Agricultnre a report from the New Zealand Commissioner at that centre on a email .shipment of fruit sent forward from Wellington by the Maftai on February 4th last, for display at the Panama Pacific Exhibition. Unfortunately tho ediipment as a whole did not reach, its destination in good condition. Tho fruit was carried in the ship's vegetable chamber, where a temperature of from 38 to 40 degrees Fahr. was maintained during the trip. It is admitted that these are not ideal conditions for the carriage of fruit, but they wero the best obtainable at time of despatch. Apricote.—Out of seven cases of apricots Bent forward. only eleven samples opened tip at San Francisco in sound condition, the remainder having decayed and Totted. Even the sound specimens wer 0 too soft for trade purposes. Prnnes.—-A small quantity of prunes arrived in too soft a state to be successfully marketed. Nectarines. —This class of fruit carried well, and opened up in very good condition, although in one instance, where apricots and nectarines had been packed in tho same tray, the apricots had decayed and affected three of the nectarines to a certain extent. Peaches.—-One crate of "Paragon" peaches arrived in a sound condition, but were too soft to be marketed. Six other trays were either luirtly or wholly decayed. Pears. —The pears represented were entirely decayed when opened up. Apples.—The shipment included four cases of apples. All arrived in sound condition. Some of them were on the small side for the American market, and lacked sufficient colour to attract buyers in the United States. One case of Cox's orange pippin was badly affected with bitter pit. as also were some of the G-ravenstein variety. Plums. —There was one case each of "October Purple" aud "Satsuma" plums in shipment. A few of each of these had rotted, and the balance were too soft for trade purposes.