COLONIAL FRUIT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1847, 15 April 1887, Page 13

COLONIAL FRUIT.

. (Feom Our London Correspondent.) London, February 11. A valuable paper was read at the meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute this week upon " Fruit as a Factor in Colonial Commerce 4 " by Mr D. Morris, assistant director of the Rojal Kew Gardens. The object, of Mr, Morri8 < paper was to show what a valuable trade' in fruit might be created between England and tho oolonies. Great Britain, he, said, imports; fruit to the value of between seven and.eight millions sterling annually, of which only about £30J),000, or £ per cent., comes from British possessions. We import annually about 500,000,000 oranges— " that is, at the rate of 16. per head of the population,— all of which comes to, us ; from the shores . of the Mediterranean. ■ Speaking more particularly of the fruits New Zealand, Mr Morris said:- "Fresh friiHrfrom New Zealand arrived last summer- in 30 consignments, and English people were able to, realise what the apples of the antipodes were like by the beautiful fruit which Sir Julius yon Haast displayed for some weeks amongst the .'other numerous attractions of the New' Zealand court. The changes of temperature and daily variations must be considerable' in a country like New Zealand, and these are^factors^whica must be well weighed by horticulturists^ But it is evident that apples,quinces, and fruits of this character can be very'successfully grown,, there. Moreover, they possess such keeping qualities that the fruit stood the long voyage and' remained good for several weeks afterwards. A writer on fruit culture in New Zealand remarks that' since New Zealand fruit reaches Europe when there is little or none in the market" it must. realise good prices. He adds that bo long as the grower could get 2|d per lb for his fruit it would pay well." Mr Morris considers , that an Anglocolonial fruit trade must be mainly a fresh fruit Jfcradei because there is abundance/Of fruit to hand for making jam, and .the low price of sugar iri this country enables English-made jam'to be the best, and possibly the cheapest, of any.] The packing of the fruit is an important matter, and Mr Morris thinks that apples from Australia and New Zealand would be better wrapped in paper, and with the layers divided by thin strips of cardboard or wood. The best New Zealand apples arrived last year packed in chaff, but Mr Morris questions whether thic is really necessary. Pears, he says, might be wrapped in paper and packed in two or three layers in light boxes. s He also % insists that all perishable fruits intended to be shipped should be gathered before they are ripe, The exact condition when export fruit should be gathered requires some experience, but it is understood in the West Indian expression "full fruit." It is necessary that the fruit should have attained its fuu maturity as regards size, but not in the elaboration of the juices which give it its ultimate sweet flavour: He also recommends tbat the fruit when on board the vessel be kept in a' uniformly low and dry temperature. The following is a return of fruit imported into the United Kingdom in 1885 :— From Foreign FromEritisU Covintries. Possessions. Total.

* Subject to a duty of 7s per cwt, imposed March 7, 1860, yielding a revenue (in 1885) of £513,740.

Apples, raw ... 623,319 03,712 Oranges and lemons ... 1,474,191 6,810 Fruit, raw (unetmraerated) ... 1,370,743 61,001 Fruit, dried and preserved ... 488,020 70,757 Nuta, used as fruib 308,275 7 9,020 Almonds ... 254,524 91 ... 1,458,182 1 *Figs... ... 187,895 S "Plums, prunes, &c. 94,738 > 4 *Baißinß ... 965,237 983 Totala ... £7,285,124 £302,399 717,031 1,481,010 1,421,747 558,777 4i7,295 254,615 1,458,183 187,903 94,742 986,220 £7,587,523