Canada, Australia and New Zealand 95 



pared to take care profitably of the anticipated increase in 

 production. 



AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND 



Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand have claimed 

 attention in the commercial apple world only within recent 

 years. Outside of North America, these countries are now 

 the most important commercial apple regions in the world. 

 The area in bearing apple trees is about 50,000 acres in 

 Australia mainland, 25,000 acres in Tasmania and 15,000 

 acres in New Zealand and in all cases the acreage is increas- 

 ing. The acreage of New Zealand is strictly commercial 

 while some of that of Australia and Tasmania is not. The 

 export to foreign markets amounts to several million boxes, 

 and promises to increase. The commercial production of 

 Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania is now about one- 

 half that of Canada and one-tenth that of United States. 



On the mainland of Australia, the orchard areas are 

 principally along the coast, the larger portion being in 

 the southern states and along the southwest coast of west 

 Australia. In Tasmania the plantings are general and 

 the only sections unsuitable for fruit-culture are the mid- 

 lands along the west coast. In New Zealand the distribu- 

 tion is fairly general in both north and south islands except 

 on the west coast. The main commercial plantings, how- 

 ever, are in the Nelson-Auckland districts. 



The bulk of the crop in Australia, Tasmania and New 

 Zealand is at the present time consumed locally, the annual 

 foreign exports amounting to about one-fourth of the pro- 

 duction. The principal outlet or foreign markets for these 

 apples have been England and Germany, and the export 

 trade prior to the war was increasing very rapidly. 



