Victorian Fruit in London. 157 



leave gi'owers no margin of profit for their trouble. Frequent 

 reference lias been made to the necessity for altering these conditions 

 if success is to attend the export of grapes in large quantities. 



The Best Pears for Shipment. 



En(piiries made from a number of fruit salesmen with regard to the 

 best varieties of pears for the British market at this season of the year, 

 resulted in the following information : — Winter Nelis are regarded as one 

 of the very best dessert pears, and, if sound and well-grown, will always 

 realise high prices in April and May. It carries well from California, 

 where it is also looked u])on as a good variety for the English market. 

 Another good variety shi])ped from California to this country, and 

 realising excellent prices, is the Doyenne du Comice. The Marie 

 Louise, Glou Morceau, Josephine and Capiaumont, are also regarded 

 as good dessert varieties for shipping, and sell well. The Vicar of 

 Winktield is identical with the pear shipped from Tasmania as Beurre 

 Bosc, and is regarded only as a second-rate fruit, suitable for cooking. 

 The St. Germain, a very large fruit, sometimes realises a high price 

 at this time of the year for show purposes in fimit sho}) windows, but 

 is looked on as a cooking pear, and this may be said of the Clairgeau 

 also. I do not think Victorian growers can do wrong in extend- 

 ing their plantations of the Winter Nelis, as it seems to be a particular 

 favorite with consumers in this country, and in consequence will 

 realise a good price. Those which realised 31s. (kl. per case were 

 grown by Mr. James Lang, of Harcourt. Some of the finest Munro's 

 Favorite and Cleopatra ap})les were also from that distinct. 



Shipments to the Continent. 



Reports from Hamburg indicate that in the sale of direct ship- 

 ment of Australian apples the demand for good Cleopatra, Munro, and 

 Jonathan apples was keen, and prices, as stated previously, were from 

 12s. 6d. to 22s. per case. Very considerable quantities of the linest 

 Australian apples are being re-shipped from Covent Garden to supply 

 the Continental demand, and a buyer from Berlin during the week 

 bought several hundred cases for his trade there. 



Shipments sent to Hamburg can be sold on the dock without pay- 

 ing import duty, and re-shipped to any of the cities in neighbouring 

 countries. This is an advantage possessed by Hamburg over other 

 Continental ports where duties have often to be paid if the fruit is 

 landed. 



