THE STONE-FRUIT INDUSTRY IN OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18851, 2 May 1923, Page 2

THE STONE-FRUIT INDUSTRY IN OTAGO.

CO THB HDITOO. Sir,— One fails to see the advantage in ventilating a. grievance unless a remedy can be suggested. . There is no use sitting in one’s orchard pelting overripe fruit at, and “cussing,” the auctioneer,’ the retailer of fruit, or jam factory. Theirs are all businesses that are quite indispensable to the industry, and they are naturally out to gain all ft hey can for their .own ends. Let the grower seek the faults and suggest the remedy. • Even the most casual observer knows that in most of our cities three fruit retail shops exist where there is only room for one. The natural result is that each individual shop depends on a small turnover and a big profit. Thus, one chilling buys only Iglb or 21b of fruit when it should buy 3l'b, while the grower receives for the same shilling’s worth about 4d. The consumer complains of the retailer’s price, and consequently uses less fruit. Were we, growers able to reduce’ the number of retail fruit shops, and retail our fruit at about half the present price, we would possibly find part of the remedy for what appears to be an unfortunate position. This is at present, however, not within the power of the grower. He must seek his remedy elsewhere. In this direction I would like to 'ask a few questions and throw out a few suggestions to the growers themselves. , Most growers ate well aware _ that, this season-especially, a large quantity , of fruit has been rejected from the jam factory, and that various complaints have come from the auction rooms, for the reason that fruit was undergrade and immature. Again, the factories received too much jam fruit and too little canning fruit. Does the grower ask himself why? Does he not realise that to,, some , extent the, blame and fault lie in his own orchard and system? Again, one grower constantly complains about poor prices while his neighbour’s i'iQturns ate quite satisfactory; and he blames the auctioneer, not his own quality of fruit. • The natural result of a large proportion of small and, immature fruit going through the auction mart is that the requirements of. the public are satisfied with' this poor grade fruit, bought at a price quite unprofitable to the grower. As the needs of the consumers are supplied the demand decreases. The result is that the buyer, will not touch higher and better grade-fruit at' an advanced ; pride. The alternative is for- thp grower to eedse growing or marketing this undergrade'fruit, and also to cut down and re-work varieties that are not profitable. There is no use in growing small fruit and. culling it out in the -packing shed. -Producers uot grow it. Let them begin with their winter pruning, and aim not at so many cases per tree, but at so many eases of first and special grade fruit per tree. .Thin and space systematically, always remembering that one big peach is more profitable than three small,ones, and, last of all, keep pigs, for they are the heat paying ' customers for undergrade fruit., I think that the growers who follow law theory for a season will come to this conclusion: “Less fruit to handle, but better quality; cost of picking, packing, and cases less and profits bigger; well, the fruitgrowing industry is not so bad after all.” Further, I would like to ask how much does the average grower spend per annum on advertising, bis. commodity. There are many households in outlying districts that are using little or no fruit simply because they cannot get into touch with a reasonable and reliable source of supply. Thor© is not much doubt, that if the fruitgrower himself corrects his own faults in growing, grading, and packing he will soon find his industry founded upon abetter basis, and better profits will be the result.— I am, etc.. Optimistic Fruitgrower.

Sib,—'“Grower” must bo complimented on the temperate tone of his letter in last Saturday’s issue of the Daily Times, but we regret that we cannot compliment Mr J. Maokay-Woodr on' the tone of his letter. Unfortunately during the past season the stone-fruit industry has not been a profitable industry, especially: for ■ those who have been .marketing small inferior fruits particularly poaches.’ This ’applies really to any class of fruit or produce that is marketed in an over-ripe, badly packed, or badly graded condition, and we think Would apply to any class of goods sent on io the market. The writer’s experience has been that the*unprofitable consignments such as the sale of half-cases of peaches at Is 3d,.;>ls 6d, and: 25.-per half.-case of 181 b, were (due to tho'i'fa-it that' peaches of. this description in many instances reached the market in a bruised, over-ripe, and imsatisfactey condition. We unfortunately received consignments in. which oho could not find a really, sound .peach, the. bulk of the fruit being clogged together' in one brown mass, and it cannot be wondered at that the consumers are shy of buying fruit of this Unfortunately, fruiterers are too busy at this season of the year to spare the tithe to handle overripe or bruised fruit. - The only outlet is a direct appeal to the public, and our experience in selling is that the public is more discriminating in regard to the quality and prices than even the much-abueecl fruiterer is. : The writer recognises the difficulties with which the fruitgrowers has to contend, for he has had practically 15 years’ experience as a. fruitgrower .and- 20-years’ experience in the marketing of produce of all descriptions ; and it is unfortunate that those who have devoted'time’and eneigy to the industry and taken up fruitgrowing as their life work, should have to face serious losses from time to time. Climatic conditions, the serious transit charges, and the damage done in transit To perishable finite, particularly to soft fruits and stone fruits, are a serious drawback. It sometimes happens -.that a fruit crop comes on too quickly and growers are not in a position to cope with it, with the result that it gets over-ripe. The delays in transit and rough handling are very detrimental to fruit which is at all near the ripening stage. Notwithstanding this, our experience during the past yean has been that really firstclass fruit of all descriptions has commanded fair values, when wfe consider the conditions prevailing abroad. First-class poaches and apricots, even in the flush of the season (choice crate fruit), realisedper lb, and in many instances .prices were as high as 9d. - , - The.trouble seems to be, -as “Grower” states, the grading of fruit for the market. Really first-class growers and packers such as we have at Outturn, Ettrick, Alexandra, Clyde, and Cromwell, .have nothing' to fear. There is always keen competition for their pack. We: have seen peaches • and apricots, marketed ; in : orates which' one grower calls _ first-grade quality, and, in fact, in advising us, is quite emphatic on this point, but when it roaches Dunedin we are quite satisfied that the very best is only fit for pulp fruit. Growers and packers of this class of fruit have to meet a limited competition and lower prices, while a- neighbour’s fruit is eagerly competed for, and in many instances there is a- difference of 2d, to 3d per lb. In fact, in one instance, we saw 'fruit which was classed as first grade by one grower; a neighbour who sent similar fruit to this market classed his as second grade; and the second-grade fruit realised ZM per lb in advance of the other grower’s so-called first grade. Growers would find it entirely to their advantage to cut out, or, at least, to thin very much more heavily than they are doing’at the present time, and to market that class of fruit which they feel will arrive in the very best- of condition and open out quite satisfactorily. * The grading, the packing, and the marketing of the fruit arc the most important work an" orchardist is called upon to do., • Mr J. Mackey-Wood speaks about an Imperial. outloook, and the fact that the co-operative concern has only received half the support from its growers., For Mr J. Mackay-Wood’s information, we may state that we have been endeavouring . for a number .of years to find profitable outside markets 'for our growers. Our very existence depends on this, and since we are charged with being selfish, described as parasitesand said to Ido out to .fill our capacious pockets at the expense of the grower, jjerhaps a few facts might be of interest. In our opinion, the average wholesale merchant is keenly alive to securing the business of his consignors. .Further, he does in every instance endeavour to secure for his growers absolutely the highest possible prices obtainable from a discriminating public or his customers, i Further, we have even offered growers a guaranteed Price for shipping large quantities of apples to England at prices which wo have, been advised by our London house were distinctly 2s to 4s in advance of what similar apples could be bought at from any other country. In England, today the best Now Zealand Cox’s orange and Jonathans are being sold at 12s to 14s per case. This is really equal to about 5s per case in,our Dunedin market, and yet quite a number . of. pur growers are securing for similar fruits 7s, Bs, , '.loa, and 12s per base in Dunedin, 'so that on the whole, though we would; like to -see. prices more stationary,. we. must foe© the facta as they appear To- us—namely, that ym or©

getting fair values in this market as compared with prices that are obtainable in other countries. The public, and rightly so, wants to purchase apples of the very best quality at 4d to 6(1 por lb, but when Delicious are realising in many instances 4id, sd, and 6d per lb wholesale you can understand it is quite impossible for the retailer to sell under Bd. It_ is quite evident that J. Mackay-Wood is writing on a subject on which he has very little practical knowledge. He speaks about stick-ing-in-the-mud methods. One would think he was a Napoleon of 1 Finance. He speaks" about having his own ships, and states it is no dream, but we are inclined to think it is rather a hazy idea._ .Probably he is not aware that competition, is keen amongst the retail fruiterers. During the 20 years we have been in business we have found a keen rivalry existing between all fruit, retailers.—We are, etc., Reilly’s Central Produce Mart (Ltd). Dunedin, May 1.