THE FRUIT TRADE IN AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1989, 7 April 1892, Page 5

THE FRUIT TRADE IN AUCKLAND.

The state of .the fruit trade in Auckland, as, elsewhere, "in tile colony, has for many years' been very unsatisfactory to the growers,- but 1 this last year in the northern city the retail 1 dealers have really pushed matters so far that J they seem determined to drive the growers into 1 a corner, and compel them to ftght for some', share of the profits. • They will either not deal' directly with the growers at all, or will only' give them such miserable prices as will not 1 pay even good wages for gathering andi packing the fruit, getting a little fruit in this) way from 'those who cannot help themselves.' They prefer to buy at auction, where the fruit is f practically divided up at a nominal price' amongst the' ring. When it comes to be retailed the price demanded is so exorbitant that no one but a rich man can afford to buy it, and even then it is only purchased in very small > quantities. The writer has seen excellent ' plums bought at per lb, and 4d, sd, ' and even in ope case 7d demanded for the same over the counter. He has known a grower of glasshouse grapes to obtain with difficulty 3d a pound for splendid black Hamburgs, which over the counter brought from Is 6d to 2s 6d per lb. The excuse for this is that half the people who buy fruit never pay for it, and also that there are so many inferior and rotten fruits in the cases sold at auction. Now, as a matter of fact nearly every one who goes into a shop to buy fruit lays the money down on the counter, and there is hardly any credit given in the trade, which, owing to prices, consists in very small purchases. Then, again, the little paper bags are not filled from the sample plates in the window (with the prices marked), but from drawers, just lower than the counter, and out of sight, and no one need be afraid of not finding his due share of inferior and rotten specimens in his pound bag. There is no doubt that a good deal of fruit is lost in the shops, becaupe the prices are so high that it is not purchased ; but the quantity is nothing compared to the heaps of valuable fruit lying rotting under the trees, because the middlemen step in and prevent , its being sold, and the general public have not as yet the sense to ignore them, and buy their fruit at a reasonable price direct from the grower. They do not see the necessity of giving any more than the auction prices, and asa rule those who commit' such an extravagance as to buy a case of fruit from the orchard' never pay for it. They say the fruit grows on the trees and costs the farmer nothing but a little trouble for it. It is ( to.be hoped that.some improved method will be* hit upon by some member of our Fruit-growers 'Association. ' At' present hundredweights of fine plums and other valuable drying and . preserving fruits are lost every year, and many tons of apples, whilst at the same time there is less fruit grown in ! Auckland than the public I would eat if they could buy at fair prices. " Orchabdist.

, Autumn Treatment of Grape Yiites. Quite recently I was invited to spend a few hours" with an»enthußiastic 'amateur in gardenjing, my advice l being needed' a£"to. what was (best to be done with a really good House of .grapes. ''My friend's case is, unless I am much mistaken, very similar to very many others, and' 'if I commit to paper the advice given verbally -to him, it may be of service ,to those standing in need of assistance. In most small gardens the vinery' is also the principal plant house, ( and although under such conditions it may be a comparatively easy matter to grow a crop of grapes, it is n.ot often that the fruit is properly ripened, nor will it keep well into the autumn unless it is thoroughly ripe, say in the case of such early sorts as Black Hamburg, Madresfield Court, Buckland Sweetwater, and Foster's Seedling, ' not later than the end of the first month of autumn. A house crowded with potplants which stand in need of daily watering cannot possibly be kept sufficiently dry to keep grapes. The latter need a dry atmosphere and a good circulation of air, and 'this lovers of plants are rather loth to accord them, seeing that it does not always suit their pet flowers. If either is sacrificed it will be the grapes. The question naturally arises, " Cannot something be done to save both flowers and grapes ?" According to my experience grapes may be kept in a vinery, greenhouse, or conservatory with a variety of plants beneath them for a time, sometimes as late as the middle of autumn. Much, liqwever, depends upon the position of the house, fruit usually keeping best on the more elevated ground, and the construction of the house also materially affects the keeping properties of the grapes. If the plants are watered early, in the day and most carefully, none receiving much more than is needed to just moisten the soil, and not a drop, or at any rate, no water carelessly slopped about, the house , may be maintained in a nearly dry state. On bright sunshiny days the pot-plants may be watered freely, always, however, supposing plenty of front and top air is put on.

Careless ventilation most frequently causes the rapid decay of grapes, and the same result may' attend too careful attention. This may at first sight appear somewhat inconsistent, but I will explain what I mean. Careless ventilation consists of setting the house wide open one day, and forgetting to open it at all on the next. The too careful ventilator closes the house every evening, and is much too timid in giving air during the day time. A house containing ripe grapes ought not to be quite closed in the evening, unless, indeed, a severe frost necessitates it, and this is not often the case while the amateur,'s grapes last. The night air is not nearly so damp as many people imagine, and it is not the night air that causes the grapes to decay prematurely. A chink of not less than 3in of air should be left on both top and bottom ventilators, and this insures a good circulation of dry air. If the house is quite closed, the chances are it will not be opened soon enough in the morning to prevent the air of the house becoming heated ; and seeing that the grapes do not at any time become equally warm, the air is bound to condense on them. At this time of year especially, the berrios are icy cold, and this my readers will find if they will take the trouble to place one against their cheek. The air then must be admitted at both top and bottom early, or before the sun affects the temperature of the house ; this being a sure preventive of the moisture collecting on the berries, thereby saving the crop for a considerable time after it is ripe. On no account should that genial growing temperature, which plant growers like to feel when they enter a house, be encouraged ; better, far better, should an uncomfortable, that is to say, cool and dry, state of affairs exist.

Drip, that enemy to flowers as well as fruit, is most destructive to grapes, especially if it fallb on the bunches. It may result from

condensation of moisture on the cold glass, or it may happen in the case of badly glazed houses whenever it rains. Th'tf former is the most destructive, though we have' kCo\Vn bunches spoil in a few houses owing to raiti water having found its way into them. Flat roofo, which are happily becoming things of the past, are the worst to deal with, the moisture condensed on the eHrb of these usually trickling down into the hewso, whereas when the roof is at a much sharper artgle it passes down the glass and out through the laps more surely. Sometimes this kind of drip might easily have been prevented, as J only this week pointed out to a gardener in charge of a vinery. In this case, none of the sublaterals, had been removed. The, greater portion of these were pressing against the glass, thUs preventing the moisti re from passing down freely. As a consequence it trickled down the growths,- afld in several instances found its way into the bunches, all of which were "pnst praying for." At this time of the year all superfluous growth otlgbt to be cut away from the viries, leaving only the laterals and leaves formed prior to the first stopping ; this, besides checking drip, also "admitting more light into the house and more air to the bunches. If plants are grown underneath, some of the laterals not bearing bunches may be shortened considerably, or to about half their length, this treatment being especially necessary when a house is to be filled with chrysanthemums. When drip is the result of defective glazing the best method of saving thq bunches is to protect them where necessary with a square of paper overhead, this diverting the water without injuring the foliage. Fire-heat properly applied will do much towards preserving the grapes besides assisting to ripen the wood. It is also necessary some seasons for ripening Alicante, Lady Downes, Gros Colman, Trebbiano, and other late grapes. Fire-heat, however, must not be applied recklessly, or it may easily do more "harm than good. We are troubled with two badly glazed houses, and which, are not considered worth repairing. Whenever it rains drip commenres all over the roof, the pathwnys soon actually standing in water. At"one"time the fire was started oil a rainy day, but this I soon found to be a niistake. It was impossible to open the top sash lights to any .appreciable extent, and the fire-heat only encouraged condensation of moisture on the berries. We now set the doors and front lights wide open only, and allow the house to dry naturally. Fire-heat is best applied on dull, sunless, and foggy days, a very little front air being admitted and a moderate amount of top air. In this manner a circulation of dry air is insured, and the effects of the outer- very damp atmosphere warded <pff . It is in the day and not night time When* the pipes or flues should be heated. If plenty of air canuot be admitted through the ordinary channels, then kcup the doors open in' the day time,' fish nets being hung lover the openings to keep out the birds.

Look sharply after any decaying berries and cut these out at once, or before they spread decay to the rest of the bunch.

! Bottling the Bunches. — When the grapes [are well ripened, as most of them now are, those who have them in houses or vineries filled with plants, will iind bottling the surest means of keeping xhem. A number of small bottles or ,zinc tubes should be suspended from a shelf or jrail in a dry room (a spare bedroom we use), ithese being three parts filled with clear water. jCut the branches with about sin of wood jattached, the latter after being cleared of leaves, and the joints trimmed if ' the necks of the bottles 'are 'small, to be then inserted into the bottles or tubes. r The weight of the bunches will bring down the bottles so as to nearly or quite clear the bunches from the glass, and all that is necessary further is to fteep",'the bottles^ sufficiently full to keep the ends of the wood jwell covered. The room to be well ventilated (whenever the weather permits, aud a close jwatch kept, for decaying berrios. • In this manner the grapes will keep plump and good jeven longer than they sometimes do on the vines, under the best management," and, -Very" much longer than they will 5 in a house filled with plants. — "Selwood," in Amateur Garden^ jng. ' ' i '. I ''• ' ' \