THE FRUIT CROP.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 12975, 14 December 1910, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE FRUIT CROP.

FAVOURABLE PROSPECTS,

(From our Motneka Correspondent.)

There will be a heavy crop of all kinds of stone fruit. Apricots are bearing more heavily than has been the case for years. Plums and peaches will be plentiful, and as an indication of the earliness of the season there were Sneed peaches shipped from here ten. days ago. Pip fruits will be a good average crop, although it js'tbo "off" year for many of the varieties of apples that only bear heavily every alternate season. The Government are again going to guarantee a penny per. pound to 'growers ' who intend, exporting to England. This means' that unless; the amount of 9s per case is realised in London, that the Government are out of pocket, and they had to pay out £325 on last year's shipment.

The wisdom of any monetary guarantee is doubtful, as it is a direct encouragement to the unscrupulous grower to get rid of poor fruit at a payable price. If such a payable guarantee is to he continued, then the whole of the shipment should be graded t by Government -officers, and the Government brand should be put oh each case, specifying its grade. This method has placed our butter ahead of anything south of the' line, and we have the same chance of : putting our export of fruit on a similarly satisfactory basis. There is also the question of the temperature in the steamers. Some of last year's shipment bore distinct evidence that it had" been partly frozen, and the exporters should see that this does not occur again. If the steamship companies charge the high rate that . they ' do, then they should be compelled to guarantee that the fruit will be kept at an even temperature throughout -the voyage. It would pay for a representative of either the /growers or the Government to go Homfi . \riirh ih& ■ shipment and choclr [the thermometer, readings.

A great deal of information aboutTasman, the. new .fruit, growing settlement at the Monterey is-ebntained in a booklet just issued by the vendors of. the estate. Extracts are given from opinions expressed by_ -competent judges as to the adaptability of ;:, the Tasman soil for successful apple and stone fruit growing, and several descriptive newspaper articles on the subject are reproduced. The booklet is excellently illustrated. Amongst recent purchas. ers of Tasman sections is Mr Justice Chapman, who intends to plant an extensive orchard next year.