’FRUIT MATURING EARLY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 25, 12 January 1935, Page 4

’FRUIT MATURING EARLY

Local Supplies Now Largs

GOOD STONE-FRUIT SEASON

Stone-fruits are now coming on to the markets from Hawke’. Bay orchards in large quantities, and the supplies are a good fortnight earlier than they were last year. Mid-season peaches are in full maturity and iu large supply. The quality of all stonefruit, stated Mr. N. J. Adamson, Orchard Instructor, to the “Tribune” today, is fully up to the standard of previous years, though the size is perhaps a shade smaller than usual.

The season of maturity, he added, is at least a fortnight earlier than in the average season, the warm and dry weather, and the districts immunity from late Jrosts, having brought the fruit on rapidly. There has been a particularly heavy setting of peaches and nectarines, and altogether the season has been very favourable for etone fruits

Earlier varieties of cooking apples are coming on fast, and Gravensteina for cooking are now being picked. Gravensteins are the first of the dessert apples, and should be in full maturity in the first week of next month. It does not seem likely, however, that apples will be more than a few days earlier than in other seasons.

Owing to the facilities for direct trading with orchardists and with wholesale supply organisations selling by private treaty, there is very little selling of fruit by auction in Hastings, and one never sees those excited and sometimes amusing acenes that are customarily seen in the fruit auction marts in the cities. What selling there is might be described as family selling, at which thrifty housewives, sometimes including women who make small quantities of pickles, sauces, and preserves for sale to supplement their housekeeping money, bid for single case lots. Retailers usually deal direct with the orchardists so far as Hastings and Napier are concerned, and even the general public, if they do not shop with the retailers, drive out during the week-end and obtain their supplies from roadside orchards. Supplies of tomatoes and plums offered at auction in Hastings this morning brought prices which might create some satisfaction on the part of buvers,- but which, from the growers’ point of view, must have been disappointing. Cases containing 12lbs. of first grade tomatoes were being sold for 2/3, and seoond grade at 1/9. Cases of plums, containing 201bs. or more, were sold at 1/-. There was little demand and little supply, but buying fruit at auction is certainly good bargaining for the Hastings housewife.