THE ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1926, 15 January 1891, Page 5

THE ORCHARD.

APPLES FOR EXPORT.

■ A very profitable business might be done in New Zealand by growing suitable apples for export, either to the English, American, or other markets in the Northern Hemisphere. India, also, would afford a great market for both apples and pears, as although the native fruits are both abundant and excellent, the apple is not, and there are times in the Indian market when it would sell at high prioea. The countries to send fruit to, where the oharges for conveyance must of necessity be very high, are where the inhabitants are comparatively rich, and are willing to give high priceß, not merely for an article of food, but for something that is rare and out of season, and, as a oonsequence, it is necessary that it should be of superior excellence of its kind, and also of a taking exterior appearance. Now, of all fruits that are suited to travel long distanoes, to keep the requisite length of time for the voyage, to stand the handling, and to present a beautiful show, the apple stands foremost, and if the prices are not as high as those of some fruits the yield in pounds per tree is the greatest, and is, moreover, obtained with the least amount of expense and care. With all these advantages one would think that the apple might be grown with good profit in New Zealand, and by many orohardists it is grown with considerable profit. Oa a visit to Whangarei, in Auokland, last May the writer found an orohardist busy packing a small order for apples for an Auckland merohant to export to California. The variety of apple was the Rome Beauty, which has the artvantsfgeß of being late, a very good keeper, a very heavy and early bearer, and also last but not least a beautiful apple to look at, although by no means what might be called a first-class dessert apple. The price paid for these apples was 3£d per pound, the purchaser finding the cases and sheets of paper to wrap each apple separately in, and the vendor paying the steamboat freight from Whangarei to Auckland. The order was for as many cases as the fruitgrower could supply from his three trees of that variety, and these filled 35 401b cases.making in all 14001b, at 3£d £20 8s 4d, less 17s 6d for freight, or £19 10s lOd for the crop of three small trees, apparently not over nine years old, if so much. It was afterwards ascertained that the speculation paid the exporter very well, the fruit being sent to the Californian market and arriving when there were no looal grown apples on hand. It must be stated that a great deal of the non-success^in the export of apples trade is not owing to' any [fault in the foreign markets, but^in the New Zealand packing, and the faults are unfortunately of two classes, the first being from want of skill and care, and the Bacond from want of common honesty. Packing looae means simply bruißed fruit, and

bruised fruit in England or America means the costermonger's barrow, and an account with a debit balance. A single sheet of paper wrapped around eaoh apple does pretty well if the paper is thick, and if the apples have been carefully handled in gathering and all along, and also if the boxes are carefully packed, but it is hardly enough to be depended upon. The best substance to use for packing is paper shavings made from very thick paper, and cut very fine. These are almost as springy &b horsehair. The artiole is manufactured on putpoSe for packing, and can ba purchased at a moderate price. One of the greatest diffioultiea in keeping apples unbruised on a voyage* and where there is bo much handling from one conveyance to another, is the shaking and rubbing together of the fruit, and as it iB very apt (indeed Bure) to shrink and settle down in the cases, this is not easily avoided, even ay careful packing. It would be no great additional expense, and worth incurring, seeing the great difference m the price according to condition (making, in fact, all the difference between sucoess and failure/, to fit in a false lid between the nailed lid and the fruit, with a few wire springs on it. The present plan of filling the cases just a little too full, and drawing the lids down with the nails, is a very doubtful and insufficient one. As for dishonesty in packing, it ought not to require any comment*. Those who use dishonest packing are not only rogues, but fools as well, and are not only robbing tbe exporter, but knocking their own trade on the head and ruining their brand. Yet there are not wanting many who consider the export merohant fafr game* arid jhat when onqe their products are shipped off from New Zealand, and the money paid for them, the merohant will never know whose oases were in fault or oeek to recover the money ; but it never occurs to them to think that the merchant will not be likely to Bpeoulate next season, and their apples will have to find another market instead of being bought up at high prices for an inoreaßing foreign demand.

DRYING SOFT FRUITS.

Otago might do a good trade in dried soft fruits. Currants (that is dried Corinth and Zante grapes) have a very large market m this colony for pudding purposes, but they are not better fitted for it than the dried soft fruits of our own climate. Puddings made of dried red or white currants, raspberries, oherrieß, or plums are said by good judges to exoel by a long way those of the usual currants and raisins, and as they became better known there is no doubt that they would bring high prices, not only in our Home markets, but in many other countries,'and in the meanwhile they would be extremely useful for home consumption. There are not half as many dried as there should be. Towards the Northern portions of New Zealand the berries, with the exception of the strawberry (which produces splendid crops), do not do very well. The gooseberry grows pretty well, for pie purposes, but not so well for eating, and the black, red, and white currants, and raspberries, do not sucoeed at aY in most places. Now, in Otago the berry orops are very heavy. In drying soft fruits of this kind, great care is required in handling them, to avoid bruising, and they require to be turned frequently and gently m the sun, It is well, too, especially with soft plums, to cover up the trays during the very hottest hours of the day, or the sun is apt to cook them ; or what is better, to partially proteot them by a screen of thin fabric of some kind. When they are dry, but not hard, they Bhould be stored in jars with a sprinkling of pounded loaf sugar, at the rate of about &lb,to 101b of fruit. Care must be taken not to place any wet fruit jn the jara, and they should be pressed in, but not hard enough 4 to. cause any juice to exude. ' The safest way is to pack loosely for a week, and then more compactly afterwards. A little practice will soon teach the proper degree of dryness required. They should be dry but not j%ard, Blaokberries and all that tribe dry well, and cherries are especially valuable, and far surpass raisins when used for similar purposes. There is a method of plucking them off the tree so as to leave the stone adhering to the stalk. For those who have many to do, it is best to procure one of the many drying maobinea now in vogue, as they "make one more independent of the weather. The fruit must not be gathered wet, nor even soon>f ter rain. Sun-drying .imparts the beat flavour to the fruit, and a considerable quantity can be got through in that primitive way— quite enough for family use. Orohabdist.