FRUIT AND PRODUCE

Evening Star, Issue 19924, 21 July 1928, Page 12

FRUIT AND PRODUCE

Bray Bi os., Ltd., report as follows for tho week ended to-aay:— Tho dullness ol the oat market continues, and very little business is passing. Sellers are asking 4s 2d, f.b.b., «.i., for A Gartens, but buyers on the 5 market are looking for lower prices. Tbero have been one or two inquiries from Australia, but very little business has eventuated Consignments of chad are offering more freely, and stocks in stores are quite sufficient to meet til i small demand. Good quality Central Otago chaff is selling at £5 10s per ton, sacks extra, ex liuck. Consignments coming forward from Canterbury ..re much better than usual. Tho shipping market in Canterbury is reported to bo firm. Blenheim is quoting £3 10s and £5 12s loi prompt shipment. The wheat market continues quiet. Farmers are not able to complete tlieir threshing, and most of the wheat is still held in stack Values remain unchangei. Tuscan is being quoted at 5s (id to 5s Bd, Hunters 5s lOd to Cs. it is reported that Canterbury millers have been in >e market for odd lines during the week Millers prices are as follow:

Flour.—2oo, £l7 10s; ICO, £l3 10s; 50, £l3 10s; 25, £lO ss. Bran, £7. Pollard, £3 10sOatmeal. —200, £22; 25, £2O, Thu potato market is firmer. Grollers are still unable to dig potatoes in any quantity, owing to the wet state of the ground. There is a fair quantity still offering from the largo stores, anil . oiinm up to £ti 5s per ton, sacks included. Merchants are only buying in small lots, as they anticipate that prices will ease once the growers lift what [hoy have on tho land and in lilts. There is a little better inquiry tor seed potatoes. Good quality Up-to-date is in demand, and King Mil wards ... squired for. Thu onion market is well supplied. t'V.o igumcnis have come forward from Canterbury, and there are some good samples amongst them. Holders are now anxious to unload, and the market has eased back. Canterbury onions will not bold for any length ol lime, ami evervi. .m. points to the market casing if larger consmnmonts come forward, as Australian and Japanese onions will be offering .shortly. The egg market mis Prices aie back- to Is t)d wholesale Im' stamped and guaranteed eggs. This is a Raver price than usual for this time of the year, and any lots coining forward are readily taken up. the butter aim cheese market has finned. hacto'y butter has increased by Id lb. Factory bulk butter is now quoted at Is ffo lb, and everything points to the prises keeping firm. Cheese is also in he same position. The market lor expor has finned up, and prices in tho local markets have finned in sympathy. Some of the cheese factories have done extremely well n it.i export, and this is good news. Business in the fruit marts has been fair during tuo week. A feature of tho business has boon the first Samoan bananas to reach thu market. The shipment arrived on Thursday, 19th. They were railed from Lyttelton, and arrived in very good condition. The limit on the whole is good quality, and the host bananas that have been seen on Has market for some time. The number of alleged cases was very few in comparison with other shipments, and 'when the boat comes to the port of Dunedin dnce. the ullages should bo ml. Longhly, 800 cases ca»f.' to Dunedin. These were not put up for action as usual, as the auctioneers thought it was_ advisable to set a price on them, with tlm object of distributing tho fruit as much as possible and with a view to competing with other bananas that might o 9 ottering. Wholesalers tho puco at 17s Gd per case. There is not the quantity of bananas in the Samoan cases that there is in the Fiji-s, the Samoan bananas being muon hngef and better quality, hut the 'HP cases enable the retailer to onCi more bananas lor a shilling. Ine retailers aro anxious to help to warrant the boat making regular calls to our port, and with this in view the retailers took up what was offering. There aro two important matters m reference to tho shipment of Samoan bananas. Ono is to see that tho grower gets pay. able returns from this maikct, and Hie other is to see that tho market will take sufficient quantity to "’arrant the boat coming into the port Wholesalers will endeavour to keep prices on a level that will meet both cases, mid give the retailer an opportunity to offer them at more reasonable prices to tho public. Oranges are offering more freely, and prices are lower than usual. A feature ol tho market is the low price of island oranges. Apples arc aro still offering in large quantities, and prices low. Pears are still conun* forwards and sales are keeping steady . Vegetables are in good supply and prices low. Large quantities of pa«uins have come forward, and in com men with other tines are offering freely at low prices. Honey is still coming fo - ward freolv, and offering at round about 5d per lb. Hams and bacon are in good supply, and there is a good inquiry for dairy pat butter. Iho following prices were realised during the week : " Section honey, 0s; medium, Gs fid. Honey.— Bulk, 4id to scl; 101 b tins, 5s 3d; 21b pottles, lOd to Is. Cabbage, 2s fid to 3s _ Cauliflowers.—Wanted; os Cd to Ms. Vegetable marrows, to 0s cwt. Pumpkins, 10s cwt. Figgs, Is 3(1, Is !)d. l(]r.g S .—Preserved, Is nd. Dairy pat butter, Is 3d. Dairy laetory butter, Is i:,d; pals, Is Pears. —Dumps, choice, Ss to 10s; halves, 2s to ss. 1Q Grapes.—Sydney lis ti> Ij> . Peanuts, sd. Brazils, 10d. Walnuts, lid. | Potatoes.— Stirling and Oiilrjim, is cwt. . , . Potatoes. — Oct cut,. Pickling onions, to 5s cwt. Canterbury onions, £ll to per ton. Swedes, 2s Gd cwt. Cheese.—Medium, 9d lb. Cheese.—Loal, lid per lb. Beeswax, Is Scl. Bacon Pigs.—Prime, Ctrl; porkers, on to 7d; heavyweights, sd. Bacon. —Hitchon’s, Is Id. Apples.—Jonathans, 5s to 7s Gd case; Delicious, choice, Ss to 11s case; Deli-' cions, medium, 5$ to fis fid case; Lord Wolsoley, 7s Gd; Ballarats, 7s to 7s Gd; other cooking varieties, Cs to is Cd ease. Pie melons, Ss Gd cwt. Lemons. —Victorian, 24s case. Lemons.—Missions, 57s Cd case. Passion fruit, IGs to 24s case. Bananas. —Green, 17s Cd; ripe, 255. Mandarins, 13s Gd, 14s Cd. Oranges.—Rarotongan. 13s Cd, Ms Gd; Adelaide Navels, 15s to 20s. Oranges.—Sunkist Valencias, 425. Grapefruit, 42s Gd. Fat, 18s to 26s cwt. Fowl wheat, 7s cwt. Oyster grit, Ss Cd. Oats. —A Cartons, 3s Gd to 3s 9d; B’s, 3s. Bran, £7 10s. Pollard, £9. Mutton birds (in kits), lOd bird. Chrysanthemums, 3s to 6s dozen. Paper white narcissi, 3s Gd to fis Gd. Violets, 5s Gd to Cs 6d.