FRUIT AND PRODUCE

Evening Star, Issue 22514, 5 December 1936, Page 14

FRUIT AND PRODUCE

Messrs Bray Bros. Ltd. (Dunedin); report as follows for week ending today:—

Little interest is being shown in the milling wheat market, most lines haying now, been marketed. According to an announcement by the Wheat Committee no further lines of milling wheat of the 1936 crop will be accepted after the end of this month. , . _ The fowl wheat market is firm. Good quality lines are not over-plentiful, and sales have been made to the North Island on sample at 4s Bjd, f.o.b.,'Canterbury ports (sacks extra). Most: or the local distributing merchants hold fair stocks of fowl wheat, but the wholesale stores have practically cleared out their supplies. The current value may. be given as 6s per bushel (sacks extra)«

Millers’ prices are as follow:— ■■ Flour: ■ 200’s, £l3 15s 6d; 100’s, £l4 12s 9d; 50’s, £l4 17s 6d; 25’s, £ls 7« 6d. Bran: £5 5s per ton. Pollard: £6 6s per ton. Oatmeal: 3001 b sacks, £22; 25 s, £24.Few lines of oats are .now held in tha stores. On the other hand, thereus'not any pronounced demand.. An occasional order is received from the North Island,but it is difficult to supply these owing /to the paucity of stocks. A‘ Gartons axe worth to-day 3s 6d to 3s 7d, f.0.b., s.i., with B’s ruling at\3s 4d. . The chaff market remains quiet, with only a small demand. Supplies are being drawn from ■ Canterbury. -Best quality is worth £4 10s per ton ex tha truck, ■ and £5 Is ■ex the store. The potato market is weak, and tha demand is now being focussed on the new crop. Supplies of- the new tubers are increasing daily, and prices of both locally-grown and North Island are commencing to decline. _ ... ' The seed markets are quiet, with little wholesale business going through* The demand from oversea® nas slackened off, and in the meantime trade i* confined to retail .orders to the country. ■ FRUIT REPORT. Supplies of New Zealand-grown apples are in short supply, small lots; only coming in from Canterbury cpol stores. Another shipment of Canadian Jonathans and Delicious'.will arrive oa Saturday. This will be the'final shipment for the season. . ' A further shipment of bananas is due to' arrive oh December 10. transhipped ex the Matua at Auckland. There will be no oranges-in iwholesalefs’ hands until the arrival of at quota of Australian oranges which have been permitted by the New Zealand Government to be landed in New Zealand in order to relieve the shortage and assist the Christmas trade.

Californian grapes, gaapefruit, and lemons are also unobtainable owing to the strike. ,

Cherries are meeting with '■> a ready sale, and are realising better values than at this time last year. Strawberry prices showed a considerable drop early in the week, bilt the market shows improvement. Good supplies of locally-grown and Christchurch tomatoes are available.

Gooseberries are selling readilyi Green peas were low in price early iff the week, but have firmed again. Heavy, supplies of new season’s potatoes are arriving from Kakanui and local districts, and prices have eased. Prices for cabbages showed a sharp advance towards the end of the week, choice quality especially meeting » strong demand. Cauliflowers are also realising high’ prices. Eggs, butter, cheese, and honey are meeting with a steady sale. The following prices were realised during the week:— . —Bushel and American Cases.— i Pineapples, 25s to 27s case. | Ripe bananas, 25s to 27s 6d casef, ‘ Californian lemons, 55s to 60s case.; Apples: Delicious, 8s fid to 10s fid ease; Jonathans. 7s 6d to 8s fid case; Stumers, 7s fid to 10s case; Tasman, Ss to 9s case; cooking, 7s. to 8s case. Pears: Winter Cole, half-case, 4s fid to 5s case; Conference, 3s fid to 4s 6d case; cooking pears, wanted, 4s to 4s 6d' case.-,, New Zealand lemons, 14s tol6s case. '—Per Dozen.— s , Cucumbers: Hothouse, wanted; 6s t® 9s dozen. Lettuce: Extra choice, wanted; 2s to 2s 6d; others, lOd to Is. Spinach. Is dozen. Asparagus, 6s to 7s fid dozen. Section honey, 8s dozen. . —Per Sack.— Cabbages, 6s to 7s sack. . Parsnips, Is dozen, Is sugar bag. Carrots, Is dozen, Is 6d to 2s 6d s. bag. -Per Lb.— Strawberries: Dessert, 9d to Is 2d lb; Jam, 6d to 8d .lb. ' Auckland potatoes. 7s cwt. Local potatoes, 2d lb. ■ Rhubarb. 2d lb. - ■ - Peas, 3d to 4Jd lb \ Tomatoes: Local, Is 2d to Is 4d lb; Christchurch. Is to Is 2d. Gold. Medal bacon: Shoulder rolls, la OJd lb; long rolls, Is Id lb; equal rolls. Is Id lb. Bulk honey: New season’s, fid lb. Beeswax. Is 2d lb. Buter: Prints, Is lid lb;-bulk, ofilb. Is IJd lb; bulk, 281 b and 141 b, Is lid lb. ' ■ ' ‘ Cheese, 7d to, 7Jd ,Ib.. Eggs : Market rates. Honey:-101b'tins, 4s-tin.