July t, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
143 
parts, where fruit is scarcest ; mid where there is a 
numerous middle class who can afford to buy it. 
Large quantities of apples need to be brought to 
Calcutta by the Ice ships from America. The multiplica- 
tion of ice machines of late years has somewhat 
checked this supply : but there is still the same 
demand as formerly. 
Apples dried and fresh, dried apricots, figs, raisins, 
pistachios, almonds, walnut?, pomegranates, and grapes, 
&c, are imported from Afghanistan. Dried fruits 
and nuts in the largest quantity. The cest of carriage 
is great, as hundreds of miles have to be traversed 
by tho camels who carry Uie fruit. 
The statistics for importation from Kabul and 
Kandahar, taken from the Inland trade Returns, are 
ibout £120,000 worth, yearly. 
The price of apples, of smallish size, at Cawnpore, 
in the centre of Northern India and in Calcutta is 
about a rupee, or from 1/6 to 1/8 a score. The grapes 
are of a long whitish kind, with thiekish skins, very 
sweet, and they arc packed in round chip boxes, three 
rows to each box. Each s>rape is cut from the 
bunch, and laid separately on layers of cotton wool. 
In I his way, they bear long journeys, a large per cent- 
age keep good lor months and they sell in Calcutta 
at an average of about a rupee per box. I estimate 
ea<-h box to contain, say about 100 grapes. 
(1 by Mr. Buck, Director of the Depart- 
iltiire and Commerce N. W. P. & Oudh, 
of tho Indian Committee for the M. I. 
m India to the Horticultural Society 
nnples, prices and other information 
fruits imported, and the information thus 
ill doubtless appear in the Society's annual 
It is p 
ment ol 
ami Pres 
E. to sei 
of Victor 
of all th 
obtained 
veport. 
The Cabulee fruit, after the stones have been taken- 
out, is dired in the sun. Fruit drying seems to be 
but little practised in Australia, though large quanti- 
ties are annually wasted from want of a ready sale. 
Orchard cultivation is rapidly extending and the 
supply of fruit year by year, more and more out- 
paces the demand. 
There are two issues now to be tried : — 
J. Whether Australian fruits can be succesfully 
sent to India. 
II. Whether, if sent, they 
ently profitable market. 
As to the first point, 1 wi 
being done. 
Mr. Buck ail dressed a ser 
Horticultural Society of Victoria 
ing of their Committee, it wi 
gesti 
ill command a suffiei- 
bi icily state what is 
s of questions to the 
, and at a recent meet- 
arranged at my sug- 
■ial consignment, and 
uiuh 
Mi 
the Ui 
Mi 
the 
Withei 
lawthon 
.plied >. 
clesirab 
thi 
being pre] 
the oourte 
Melbourne 
freight, and "ill be 
the voyage. Mr. C 
tion to the Govern 
case of eh ice variet 
Hareourt and Mr. II 
and indeed every gi 
has liberally and pro 
to h ive as many frui 
possible, and all par 
and reported on, as t 
districts arrive in tin 
neota of being succe 
The apples aro l> in-,' packed in different ways, and 
CI e present shipment is, in fact, purely an experi- 
mental one, with a view to gather useful hints from 
tho re-ult, whatever it may be. Kvery method and 
every season sl Id be tried, and by following this 
up with small shipment* monthly, until the right plan 
and right season are definitely ascertained. Dried 
fruits especially should be tried, and the best mode 
pro- 
of drying should be ascertained by experiment. 
Calcutta is probably the best market, but there 
is a transhipment at Gallc which militates soincwbat 
against the export of whole fruit. Bombay and Cey. 
Ion are likely to prove good markets, and should bo 
tried, and I am sure Mr. A. M. Ferguson, Executive 
Commissioner of Ceylon, would be happy to take 
charge of a trial consignment for Ceylon, and report 
thereon. Mr. Buck has also agreed to obtain fuller 
information from Colonel St. John, the Resident at 
Kandahar, about the methods pursued in drying fruit 
in Afghanistan, of what sort are the apricots, &e. 
As to the second point •'whethei, if sent, our fruit 
will command a profitable market." it should be borne 
in mind, that the present price of fruit in India ie 
not to be taken as that which would be obtainable for 
large quantities and regular supplies. A poorer stratum 
of purchasers would have to be reached, who would not 
take the fruit at the price given by the richer classes, 
for the present limited supply. At the same time, 
it must be remembered, what a vast population there 
is, and how, even a small profit, multiplied by a 
great consumption, would make a trade worthy to be 
grasped. 
It is computed that there are by weight about 40 
lb. of apples in a case, or about 56 cases to the too. 
Let 1/— per case represent freight, and cartage &c. 
Price of case (id. average price per case in local 
market say 5/ — to (!/ — Sundry charges 1/8. Total 
cost 9/ — (and 1 think that is a liberal estimate.) It 
would not be difficult to calculate the profit iu India, 
if the apples sold at l/fi per score. 
Ir is not improbable that the wood of the cases 
would fetch a good price, for the manufacture of tea 
boxes or for other purposes. 
Whole fruits have been sent from Melbourne to 
Vienna, grapes and oranges from Adelaide to London, 
so that there seems to be a fair promise of success, 
in inaugurating a fruit trade butweeh Autralia and 
India. 
The foregoing notes might equally apply to the 
oranges and lemons of N. S. VV., the grapes of South 
Australia, and the delicious fruits of Tasmania, as to 
the rich ripe harvests of the orchards of Victoria. 
Jas. Incus, 
Executive Commissioner for India. 
There can be no doubt that bunches of fresh grapes 
from .Australia would be far preferable to the single 
fruits which come from Cabii'. A pretty fair trade 
in apples already exists, but a great and useful trade 
in grapes has to be developed. 
With refereuce to Mr. Ingl is' Memorandum, he and 
I have received letters from a Mr. F. A. Pullcine of 
llobartou. Tasmania, about fruit " de-hydrated " by a 
patent of his. I encouraged his proposal to send a 
trial shipment at the reduced rate, to Cevlon, and if 
I am able to take a run to I'usmania I '11 s^e his 
process and report the result. I feel that in all matters 
of this kind I can be of some use to Ceylon, apart 
from my special functions as Kxibition Commissioner. — 
Yours faithfully, A. M. FERGUSON. 
LlBERlAN Col't'i'.r..- -It will be good news to ill in- 
terested in " New Products " to know that Messrs. 
Robinson & DuUlOp have made a sale, the first, 
we believe, locally of Libciian Coffee at l!4t) l .o. b. 
This coffee was from Mr. Forties Laurie's l.i'oria estate. 
S.m.i- oi- Ckyi.ox Tea in 11 l\ I. nm ■ i: n i:. -Mr. Henry 
Poett reports sale of 12 chests of " Sein'iawa'te" tea 
at Is Oil per lb. in bond. The leil was pronounce 1 of 
excellent quality. Advices from Queensland give very 
encouraging accounts of the opinion of experts on 
simples .it ('.'Con tea-, diitr butid there. 1: is much 
more liked Hum Indian. Th is a good prospiKSt for 
our tons in Queensland; if c ue is taken to send no- 
thing but i\ good article. 
