Those Almeria grapes shipped to England were packed in the usual 10-lb. 

 box (each bunch being wrapped in tissue paper by itself), and were sent over 

 in ventilated hold, arriving in good condition. The prices realized were quite 

 satisfactory, as was shown above. Next season some boxes will be exported 

 with the grapes packed in corkdust, to determine which manner of packing 

 pays best. The grapes were sold on the Covent Garden Market, London, on 

 the 10th May. Those picked in the ampelographic collection were specially 

 marked " A.C.," and they were on the whole riper than those picked from 

 the overhead trellis. In his report on this consignment (40 boxes), the Trades 

 Commissioner, Mr. Chiappini, writes as follows : 



'' The portion of the shipment marked ' A.C. ' had a fair percentage 

 of wasty berries. The portion which had no distinguishing mark 

 were in quite good condition, hardly a bad berry to be found." 



This simply corroborates the experience in Almeria, where the grapes are 

 picked a bit on the green side, to make them keep longer and better. It is, 

 therefore, advisable to pick the Almeria grape when it is just ripe, but before 

 it is dead ripe. 



(e) Local Sales of Table Grapes. In all 155 10-lb. boxes of a large number 

 of different varieties of table grapes from the Paarl Experimental Station were 

 sold on the Johannesburg market between 1st February and 25th March, 

 1916. The prices were uniformly satisfactory, the average price being 3s. 4d. 

 per box. The grapes were quite ripe and of good quality, although not " extra 

 selected." This shows that in the case of local sales it pays to put up the 

 grapes in small parcels and to send good, ripe stuff to the markets. Growers 

 should note this fact, and develop this line of trade, in preference to selling 

 their whole crops of good Hanepoot and other grapes at 3s. to 4s. per basket 

 of at least 50 lb. grapes. 



(f) Experimental Shipments of Export Grapes. During the last export 

 season 185 standard 10-fb. boxes of table grapes were exported from the Paarl 

 Experimental Station to London and consigned to the Trades Commissioner, 

 who carefully inspected each consignment, had them sold at Covent Garden, 

 and fully reported upon the results. The following are the opening remarks 

 in his report on these experimental shipments : 



" What I consider to be the most important experiments ever made in 

 regard to the fruit trade were those made by Dr. Perold (the Chief 

 Viticulturist of the Government), who made several shipments 

 including many varieties of new types of table grapes grow r n at 

 the Government experimental plot at the Paarl. Great care was 

 taken in the details of the shipments, and the results were most 

 satisfactory. ... I personally inspected every consignment 

 very carefully, always in company with Covent Garden dealers, and 

 I hope the experiments will be continued next year." 



These shipments comprised thirty different varieties of table grapes. On 

 account of the small number of boxes sent of each variety (in some cases one 

 or two only), the prices realized do not reflect the correct value of the different 

 grapes for export purposes. The greatest value of these experimental ship 

 ments consists in the careful reports made about their travelling qualities, 

 and the public favour that the different varieties are likely to find at Covent 

 Garden. The following are some of the best varieties for export : 



(a) Varieties already largely exported. Gros Colman, Red and White 

 Hanepoot, Barbarossa, Hermitage, and Raisin Blanc. 



