520 Fruit Crop in the Wisbech District, [sept., 1910. 



commenced under the average. The first pickings in Wisbech com- 

 mence when strawberries from Hampshire are well in, and conse- 

 quently the Wisbech growers do not get the 6d. and jd. per lb. which 

 is obtained by the earlier Hampshire consignments. Jam strawberries 

 opened very quiet, and were difficult to sell at £12 per ton f.o.r. Wis- 

 bech. This price is a poor one, as the grower has ^4 135. 4^. to pay 

 for picking. Many jam-makers did not buy even at that price, hoping 

 to purchase later on at a lower figure. In this they were disappointed, 

 as Paxtons, after the first picking, were practically finished, and in 

 three days jam strawberries rose from £12 to £18, and later to £20 

 per ton, and were in great demand. Growers finished up very well, and 

 the demand is likely to affect the price next season, so that jam fruit 

 should not commence under £16 per ton. 



Apples. — The crop of apples of all kinds has been a failure, and 

 the available produce is making a very high price; as an example, 

 Bramley's Seedling is worth £15, Lord Derby £14, Grenadier, Lane's 

 Prince Albert and Lord Suffield, £12, Emneth Earlier and Grosvenor, 

 £10 per ton. Amongst the dessert apples, Beauty of Bath realised 

 Worcester Pearmain, £18, and Gladstone, ^14, per ton. Stocks 

 are very limited, and are keenly sought after. Jam apples in bags are 

 very firm at ^5 105. per ton, merchants taking in any quantity over 

 1 cwt. lots. 



Plums. — Plums are also a very short crop, Early Rivers commencing 

 and finishing at not less than ^15 per ton. The quality was very good. 

 Czars also remained firm at £15 per ton, and showed plenty of size. 

 Early Victorias are very thin crops, and have been bought up on all sides 

 at ;£i8 per ton ; they are of exceptionally good quality. Belle de Louvain 

 and Ponds' Seedling are also scarce, and are selling at £16 and £18 

 per ton. Altogether the plums are a poor half crop, but will realise 

 much more than had there been a full crop. Wisbech growers would 

 do well to plant Egg Plums and Kentish Bush Plums. 



Pears. — Hazel pears are grown extensively in places about Wisbech, 

 but the crop this year is very poor indeed, and prices are not likely 

 to fall below £9 per ton. 



Raspberries. — Raspberries showed an enormous lot of bloom, and 

 prices commenced very badly, the chief cause being the low quotations 

 sent out by the Blairgowrie growers, who sold hundreds of tons very 

 early at £10 per ton; this greatly stopped the sale, and plenty were 

 sold at £11. Prices gradually rose, and raspberries finished firm in 

 Wisbech at £18 per ton. The best varieties grown here are Super- 

 lative, which bears transport well and is useful at first for selling in 

 chip baskets, and Baumforth's Seedling, a very bright-coloured rasp- 

 berry. This does not bear carriage quite so well as other sorts do. 



Currants. — Red currants generally realise a poor price here, usually 

 making £9 to £11 per ton. This year £18 was paid quite freely for 

 Dutch Red, and Red Grape realised £20. As a great many red currants 

 are grown in the district growers have done a good business. Black 

 currants are not grown very largely, but what did come on the market 

 made £28 per ton to commence with, and finished at £45. Taking 

 the season altogether, growers have had a much better experience than 

 during the last two years. 



