13 



DRIED FRUIT. 



At present we cannot supply ourselves, and even for some- 

 years to come, at the present rate of planting of the varieties 

 for this purpose, our best market will be here. 



The demand for fruit dried at Wellington has been excellent,, 

 and prices realised most satisfactory to all concerned. This is- 

 mainly in apricots. We have only seen small sample lots of 

 dried peaches that would be stocked by first-class dealers. We 

 cannot too strongly impress on planters the importance of 

 planting drying varieties of Peaches if it is at all probable that the 

 crop may have to be dried. It means securing almost double the 

 crop on the same acreage, and makes a nice showy product, with 

 red centre, in place of the ordinary filthy black-brown production,, 

 which finds a market, we don't know where, at 2^d. per Ib. 



Vieing with the Apricot in importance as a drying fruit, comes 

 the California Prune (Petit D'Agen). The increase in popularity 

 of this, from a grower's point of view, has been phenomenal in 

 California, the output of the State in 1885 being 1,500,000 Ibs. dry, 

 increasing in 1893 to 57,500,000 Ibs. dry. The consuming public 

 also fully appreciate its merits on the table, as in 1887, we find 

 the import of this fruit alone to the United States reached the 

 enormous figure of 92,000,000 Ibs. For further particulars of thi& 

 variety, see page. 



As for the export of Cape Dried Fruit, we must always 

 remember that we come into direct competition with the whole 

 oi the world in the English market. The other markets of Europe 

 and America, as they are either protected by a heavy duty or 

 are heavily supplied with home product. In regard to the 

 English market for dried fruit it is increasing in value annually 

 as the prices come down and the consumption is extended we 

 have here, conjointly with Australia, the advantage of putting 

 our crop of fresh into the market on the top of the tail end of the 

 European one of the year before, which is to a certain extent an 

 advantage, but there is no doubt that the demand will always in 

 England be ruled by the price, no matter from whatsoever country 

 the fruit may come, and we should put this roughly at 6d. per Ib.. 

 in apricots, prunes and pears, in good grades. Personally, we 

 think we can do good business and make money at this figure, as 

 we can utilize land which is now lying idle and bringing in 

 absolutely nothing for raising drying fruit, whereas if we take one 

 of our competitors in dried fruit on the English market, California 

 to wit, which has already successfully catered this market, we 

 know that growers there must pay 20 per acre and upwards 

 for the land which grows such product. Therefore if growers 

 only rise to the value of their opportunities we claim that they 

 will make a verj fair name for themselves, and bring a good deal 



