THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 4 July 1911, Page 2

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

THE PANAMA CANAL AND ITS RELATIVE IMPORTANCE TO THE EXPORT TRADE. IMPORTANCE TO THE EXPORT TRADE. (By "Jonathan.") The future success of tihe fruitgrowing industry in New Zealand very largely depends on th© establishment of the export trade. This class of .business 'has -been entered into with the best results by Tasmania and other Australian States to such an exetnt that. with, the- firstnamed it 'has become her "greatest source of revenue. In.-the-face-of the failure of initial shipments of Trait to the United Kingdom from this district there is no reason why, with.-the same facilities that can be made to l exist in the export trade from here' as they now exist from. Australia, the industry should not be a good one and the planting of orchards in. suitable situations a safe ' investment; The present trouble must -be removed, a matter which depends r 011 the l fruitgrower himielf, and which in his own interests must and will see '-righted. PRESENT DISADVANTAGES: Just now our orchardist is at a disadvantage -in the way of (placing his-fruit on the European.' as compared with Tasmania and Australian fruit-pro-ducing States generally. ' The time occupied in travelling by sea being 4 days longer than, from Hohart and" ? days from Perth'; but'the'opening of the ' CANAL, which-it is announced will take place 011 Ist Jijnuary, 1913, Will revolutionise condition's in that direction in favour of New Zealand. We will -then be some 3000 iniles nearer London fry'sea/a, matter of from 10 to 12 days saving, while Tasmania will be about' four - days behind us on the journey. But- as it has repeatedly been stated bn the best authority that Nelson apples are fully two- Weeks earlier than those of 'Tasmania, this will give New Zealand the advantage of reachine" the Ev-~opean markets'at a time when they .arg pracr tically bare, except perhaps," from those received from Western Australia, which will arrive about the same time. This means then that it 'is probable that in two seasons from now these advantages will be available.

FOREIGN MARKETS. Australia has formed good markets foi' fruit, not only in England, but, better still, in 'Germany, Sweden and other countries oil the Continent of Europe, as well' as at New York. New Zealand would therefore do well to get in touch with all these markets, and although the shipments must'necessarily be comparatively -small for' the next few years, it would do well to take advantage of the best chances offering with what we have got. At the present rate of apple production from existing plantations, to say nothing l of the' large'areas of land in course of preparation for- orchards, it 'must only be a few years wheu this'country will have many hundred thousands of cases over and above what can be consumed -locally, and : which must find markets in other parts of-the -woi'ld.' especially in the TSTorthern Hemisphere. New \ork at present offers'a veiiy fine market, and applications have already been received from them for-supplies of apples in large qtiantities; but 1 existing disadvantages'in the way oif quantity available, the diabolical cool .storage management 011, the ocean-going steamers and the necessity of tranehibment' 'in England, preclude all thought of that market tor the present. But with the Panama Canal open in the near future, and'the probability of a direct service from Australia, with steamers making New Zealand ports their last ports of call, the matter of shipping lruit to the East coast of North America should be kept well in touch and in view. AN OUTLET IN ivORTH AMERICA. This Dominion -with its small populations, imports many thousands of cases of fresh fruit from California in the off season. There should be enormous possibilities for New Zealand in supplying the United States and Canada -with their vast millions of people during the time when their own supplies are finished and ours are available. COMMERCIAL ORCHARDS. Predictions have been common 3V _'' ali>iig for the past 25 years' that the fruit 'industry in this country had j lis t> about

reached its zenith. We find to-uay.; the growers doing better than'-tever 'they did befbre, and with the unlimited possibilities of the. export ,trade ■ ■the ,expansion open in that: quarter-is so latgo as to be hardly 'realisable. It ■ : how.- , ' ever, evident that' the orchards planted with apples 1 of many • varieties-,"iiow ... found unsuitable from , a commerpialL, view,' will have to gb, and oniy cently'' established, ' where the 1 proper kind' of trees have been selected;' Will find a place. " .. ''' " ' iOnly the very best fruit of even the commercial varieties ;.wiH' be" exported-; the rest of these' having 1 to fihd; locally at any 1 orices'obtainable - . 'As; "in. the future with ; this country, .as how in Tasmania 'itself, it will pay -better' to accept low prices ' for this kind of-fi'uit than to waste it. Then how can the l old~ non-commercial-orchards compete?. ... -