Rhodes Fruit Farms Limited has been of material benefit to the 

 fruit trade of South Africa. 



\Ye have always considered that pears must be the basis on 

 which we must build up our export trade in fresh fruits, and this 

 opinion we find is shared in both England and America, but 

 oranges are now rapidly attaining a commanding position, and 

 pines in the course of a few years will be a great feature. 



Peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums and apples (the latter 

 for a long time to come ) will always be accessory to pears. 



We do not for a moment wish to let intending planters labour 

 under any delusion as regards the export trade in fresh fruits, 

 and here state plainly our opinion. Unless a grower is conveni- 

 ently situated near the railway, he has no chance of competing 

 on fair and even terms, and had best make up his mind to look 

 to another direction for his outlet, i.e.. to Colonial consumption. 

 It will be difficult to keep pace with it in apples, particularly for 

 many years, therefore late keeping apples will undoubtedly pay. 

 In districts where peache< do well (and some of these districts 

 are many miles from a railway i drying varieties of the Yellow- 

 ^.cshcd peaches only should be planted - - melting white-fleshed 

 peache- would prove unprofitable in such a locality. Apricots 

 of all the varieties listed in Colonial nurserymen's catalogues will 

 make a decent dried product. In plums the drying varieties, i.e., 

 prunes of the several sorts, should be planted in districts miles 

 .-'.way from direct railway communications, and in pears varieties 

 that dry well, as Ron Chretien, Beurre Hardy, Louise Bonne, etc., 

 etc., and if a district so situated is particularly suited to pears, 

 late varieties such as Winter Xelis, Easter Beurre, Glou Morceau, 

 etc.. should bring satisfactory returns as they are very firm, bear 

 transport well, and are long keepers. 



DRIED FRUIT. 



At present we cannot Mipply ourselves, and shall be unable 

 to for some years to come at the present rate of planting of the 

 varieties for this purpose ; our best market will therefore be here. 



A very great impetus has been given to the planting of dry- 

 ing varieties of fruit as the result of the successful establishment 

 farmers' co-operative company for handling the product. 



This Company the South African Dried Fruit Company 

 Ltd., of Wellington Station receives at its warehouse all the 

 dried fruits and nuts of its shareholders, taking them as they 

 crime from the drying trays. On arriving at the store they are 

 graded off and classified, and prior to going into the hands of 



