AUSTRALIAN FRUIT EXPORTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 29 May 1930, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN FRUIT EXPORTS

SMALLER. SIZES SENT

"Including the cargo of the Asphalion, which recently sailed from Adelaide for Glasgow, South Australia has exported about 400,000 cases of apples and pears this season," said the general manager of the South Australian Government Froduce Department (Mr G. A. W. Pope). Growers were having difficulty in selecting from their orchards fruit of a size required by buyers, because January, February, and March had been the driest three months in 91 years, Mr Pope added. Lack of moisture had retarded apple development, especially as the trees had been laden so heavily._ That meant a superabundance of 2i-inch apples, and growers had to leave behind many that had not attained that grade. "Although the apples shipped are on an average smaller than in a normal year, the quality will be good, because Black Spot is less evident," Mr Pope said. First class Jonathans, Cleopatras, and Dunn's Seedlings have been received for shipment, and it is not expected that the larger percentage of smaller apples will injure South Australia's reputation. "In fact, many north European countries specified for small apples. They limit to a marked degree the quantity of 2Jin and 3in apples that could be included in any contracts." The feature in the industry this and last week had oeen tho shipment of approximately 80,000 cases in the Natia, which had been chartered specially to take apples to Hamburg whence J hey would be distributed over North Europe. Space to be 'filled before tho season ended, Mr Pope said, was about 200,000 cases. That would be utilised principally to ship the crop of Rome Beauty i apples.

TASMANIAN SHIPMENTS The P. and O. Chitral liner left Hobart 17th May with 81,500 cases of apples and 4000 cases of pears for England. Shipments to that date from Tasmania totalled 1,806,615 cases of apples, and 134,893 cases and 21,936 trays of pears.