THE ENGLISH AND CONTINENTAL MARKETS FOR FRUIT

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 37

THE ENGLISH AND CONTINENTAL MARKETS FOR FRUIT

PRICES REALISED BY AUSTRALIAN APPLES AND PEARS. Now that our orchardists are taking an interest in the prices realised in England and the Continent for Australian fruit, we have made arrangements with Mr T. Boss-Walker, 121 Macquarie street, Hobart, to supply weekly reports concerning advices received from London, Liverpool, and [Hamburg. The following are the reports to hand by this week’s mail ; Under date Liverpool, 21st May, Messrs Yooward Bros, have written to Mr T. BossWalker a report, from which the following are extracts: “The s.s. Runic began to discharge here on the 18th inst., and the greater part of her cargo has now been sold. The Shropshire arrived on the following day; but sbe has only been working very slowly, and there is still a considerable quantity of her fruit to be landed. We have made as much progress as possible with the sales. Our market has been considerably handicapped this week by the low prices ruling in London, and m many instances where wo have made sales wo have got into trouble with our customers when they have found out how much ■cheaper they oould have bought the fruit in London. Of course, this is no fault of ours. Quite a number of our friends are buying their supplies'direct from London, and they find that they can get the fruit delivered here at Is to. Is 6d a case less than what we have been charging. With the Runic and Shropshire delivering their cargoes here simultaneously only about half the quantity brought by them has been marketed, and many buyers, having purchased some of the requirements here at the outset, believing that Liverpool prices would be somewhat on a par with those ruling in London, have had to pay much more than they anticipated would be necessary; and this is the reason why higher prices were realised here for that portion of the fruit which came out first. Had our prices here been more on a lino with those ruling in London, to which rail freight would have had to be added on anything brought up to Liverpool from there, we should have boon able to make much more progress with our sales. Those growers who were fortunate enough to have their apples landed from the Runic and Shropshire hi good time have benefited considerably; as we are afraid that our market will lie down to-morrow and more on a par with London; and, of course, the balance of these’ two cargoes will have to be sold accordingly. _ However, we have done our best in the shippers’ interests, and wo feel sure that, taking into consideration London ruling figures, growers will have every reason to be satisfied with the progress we have made to date. “Some of the parcels have turned out rather wasty, particularly the Cox’s Orange Pippins. The bulk, however, of such varieties as Scarlet Nonpareils, Sturmer Pippins, French Crabs, Five Crown Pippins, and Prince Alfreds have turned out very sound, and wo have seen nothing overripe among the Cloopatras, although many of these are bronzed and spotted, and some of them of poor shape.

‘‘Wo should like to draw attention to the difficulty which arises at this end through the entire lack of system shown by growers in marking- the grad is of their apples on the cases. Some mark their first grade with a single X, their second grade with XX, and so on upwards: whilst others mark their first grade with XXXX, their second grade with XXX, and so on downwards. Others esc numbers in a similarly contradictory manner. This makes it very difficult, both for the seller and the' buyer, to know exactly wha-t is intended. Of course, in the majority of cases samples have to be inspected. But, with a falling market, such as we have experienced this'week, we could have got some of the fruit away promptly to customers as a distance, without losing time over opening samples, had there been a uniform system of marking the grades in vogue among the growers. If anything could be done towards inducing the growers to adopt a uniform system of marking the grades on their cases it would be to the advantage of all concerned.”

Mr Boss-Walker states that he dealt with this subject at considerable length some time ago in a circular, in which growers were recommended to substitute figures, indicating the approximate diameter of the appies contained in a case, thus, 2{-in, representing apples from 2gin up to 2ijn; 2|in, representing apples from 2-jdn up"to 22m; and so on for the X’s, numbers, and other signs hitherto used indiscriminately and without system. This recommendation has already been adopted by a number of growers in Tasmania and the mainland States, especially in Western Australia, where the wholo of the apples are so branded at the present time. This has contributed appreciably to tho remarkable favour in which Western Australian apples are held among the buyers, in that they always know exactlv what sized apples are in the case, and can bid accordingly.

Mr Boss-Walker reports tho sale in London by Messrs Edward Jacobs and Sons of 3152 cases of South Australian and Tasmanian apples, ex R.M.S. Mongolia, as follows:

South Australian. —Cleopatras, 8s 9d, 8s; Jonathans, 8s 6d; London Pippins, Bs, a large number wet, 6s 6d; Dunn’s Favourites, 7s 6d; Strawberry Pippins, 8s 9d, Bs. Tasmanian. —Cleopatras. 10s to 7s 6d; Jonathans, 9s 6d to 7s 6d; London Pippins, 8s 3d to 7s 9d; Dunn’s Favourites, "os to 7s 3d; Scarlet Nonpareils, 9s 6d to 8s; Sturmor Pippins, 9s 6d to 6s 9d ; Aifristons, 7s 6d to 6s; French Crabs, 9s to 7s; King of Pippins, 8s 6d_to 7s_; Reinette do Canada (B.O.), & to 7s 6d; Ribstone Pippins, 8s to 7s 9d; Crow Eggs, Ss 3d to 7s.

Tho Mongolia delivered the greater part of her fruit in rather too ripe a condition. Tho soft fruit season was in full swing when the shipments ox Mongolia, Shrop°shire, and Clan M'Arfhur arrived, and, as foreshadowed in Messrs Edward Jacobs and Sons’ report last week, the market for apples had fallen appreciably. Mr T. Boss-Walker reports the sale in Hamburg, by the Internationale Frucht-Import-Gesellschaft, of 2280 cases of Australian and Tasmanian apples and 638 oases and, packages of Tasmanian pears, cx s.s. Sumatra, as follows : Western- Australian.—Cleopatras, 15.25 marks to 13 marks; Jonathans, 14.75 marks to 9 marks; Dunn’s Favourites, 15.25 marks to 13.75 marks; London Pippins, 8.50 marks to 7.75 marks: Reinette do'Canada (B.O.). 6.75 marks to 6.marks; Rome Beauties, 6.75 marks.

South Australian. —Cleopatras, 10 marks to 9 marks; Dunn’s Favourites. 8.50 marks. Tasmanian,—Cleopatras, 11.75 marks to 7.75 marks; Jonathans, 8.25 marks to 7.75 marks; Dunn’s Favourites,■ 9 marks to 7.25

marks; Reinette de Canada (B.O.), 7.50 marks to 7 marks; Duke of Clarence, 9 marks to 6 marks; Blue marks; Crow Eggs, 7.75 marks; Esopus Spitzenbergs, 8 marks; Alexanders, 7.50 marks. Tasmanian Pears. —Beurre Bose, patent cases 12.50 marks, half-cases 9.25 marks to 6.75 marks; Duchesso d’Anjouleme, halfcases 12 marks to 11 marks; Beurre Clairgem, half-cases 11.25 marks to 7.75 marks; Easter Buerre, 9.25 marks; Vicar of Winkfield, half-cases 11 marks to 7 marks, patent cases' 8.50 marks; Beurre de Capiaumont, 7.25 marks; Black Achan, 8 marks. The I.F.C. reported last week that the market in Hamburg had fallen heavily in consequence of the simultaneous arrival of three heavy cargoes of apples. Verv low prices were realised for the whole, with the exception of the choicest lots of Cleopatras, Jonathans, and Dunn’s Favourites. Mr T. Boss-Walker reports the sale, in London, by Messrs Edward Jacobs and Sons of 6717 cases and packages of Tasmanian apples and pears, ex s.s. Clan M'Arthur, as follows :—- Apples.—Cox’s Orange Pippins 12s 6d, to Bs, Cleopatras Ids to Bs, Ribstone Pippins 8s 9d to 6s, Jonathans 10s 6d to 6s 3d, King of Pippins 8s 3d to 6s, Slcarlet Nonpareils 8s 9d to 7s 6d, Alfristons 8s 3d to 6s, Duke of Clarence 7s 9d to 6s Bd, Sturmer Pippins _9s 6d to 7s 6d, French Crabs 8s 3d to 7s, London Pippins 8s to 7s 3d, Reinette do Canada (B.O.) 7s 9d to 6s 9d,, Dunn’s Favourites 7s 9d to 7s. Pears.—Most of the pears brought by the Clan M'Arthur were over-ripe, and. many were rotten and worthless. A few of the best brought 3s to 4s a tray, and 6s to 7s 6d a ease. Mr T. Boss-Walker reports, in London, by Messrs Edward Jacob and Sons, the sale of 8625 cases and packages of Tasmanian apples and pears ex s.s. Shropshire, as fol lows:— Apples.—Cox’s Orange Pippins 14s to 10s 6d. Cleopatras 11s to Bs, Jonathans 10s to 7s 6d. Scarlet Nonpareils 9s 6d to Bs, Stur mer Pippins 10s to 7s 6d, French Crabs 10s to 7s, King of Pippins 9s to 7s 6d, Ribstone Pippins 8s 6d -to 7s 3d, London Pippins (Five Crowns) 8s 9d to 7s 6d, Crow Eggs 8s 9d to 7s, Dunn’s Favourites 8s 6d to 7s 3d, Alfrlstons 9s to 7s, Prince Alfreds 8s 6d to 7s 6di, Duke of Clarence 8s 3d to 7s 6d, Wellington Pippins 11s 6d to Bs, Reinette de Canada (Blenheim Orange) 8s 6d to 7s 6d. Pears.—Beurre Bose, trays 7s 3d to 5s 9d; Easter Beurre, half-cases 5s 9d to 4s 6d; Winter Cole, patent case 15s to 4s 3d; Winter Nelis, trays 6s to 3s 9d: Josephines des, Malines. cases Ids 6d; Vicar of Winkfield, patent eases 8s 9d to 7s, eases 8s 3d to 7s 6d. half-cases 4s to 3s sd, trays 4s to 3s 3d. The bulk of the pears were overripe and wasty. The above represent the best only. The Australian apple export bushel case contains about 401 b in weight.