EXPORT OF FRUIT TO LONDON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9453, 26 August 1889, Page 6

EXPORT OF FRUIT TO LONDON.

It is pleasant to know of thoroughly practical men expressing their opinion that locally-grown fruit can be exported to London with a profit to the grower, as it gives encouragement to all engaged in fruit culture. Mr. E. D. Meatyard, of Takapuna, went home on a visit recently, and to a friend in Auckland he has sent his opinion on the prospects 01 exporting fruit from the colonies to the London market. He is of opinion that goocj fruit; carefully selected and properly packed, may be sent with every prospect of success. The followin«- is an extract from the letter referred to, and will be read with interest by all orchardists, as Mr. .Meatyard is widelyknown. He says : —"I was at Coven t Garden to-day (.June 20), and saw a lot of Hobart apples sold by auction, which re- I alised from lis to ids per case, the same size as those usually sent by Hobart people to the Auckland market, only each apple was wrapped in sott paper, and, to all appearance, arrived in splendid condition. I heard more than one buyer say they were first-class apples. Stunner Pippins brought the best prices of any. I do not think it will pay to send any but the best sorts to London, because of the expense of sorting And packing. They should have no blemish, and be well-sized and coloured, and packed with paper, and put into the cool-chamber immediately. I saw some cases sent without being packed in paper. They were very much bruised, and sold for little. The market is limited to high-priced fruit. It is only the wealthy that buy it. I should like to see some of the Auckland highly-coloured apples in the London market." lam sure they would be highly prized. I saw no apples like them anywhere in Australia; hut lam afraid they do not keep so well, and greenlooking apples do not take, and will only bring a very low price, however rood they may be in other respects. By auction they sell not less than ten cases at one bid; therefore there should be not less than from 20 to 100 cases of one sort. The agents in the side streets at Covent Garden Market sell privately about Is per case higher than by auction. These arrive chiefly from the Continent. The cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, and strawberries have.been in for the last three weeks. The quantities are enormous which arrive daily, and they bring very grand prices. Cherries have been selling at Is to Is Gd per lb, and strawberries at from Is to 2s Gd per lb until this week. The English fruit is now coming in, and has brought prices down with a run. With regard to oranges and lemons, I was perfectly astounded at the price when we landed in London. Our ship called at Malta when such fruit is very cheap, and we thought we had better lay in a store. But in London we found them equally cheap. Oranges were Gd per dozen, and lemons sold at two and sometimes three for a penny, and the best of fruit."