154 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



existence in July, 191 1. The whole scheme was an experiment 

 and no company was compelled to supply a single barrel of 

 apples to fill orders taken by the Central if it thought it could 

 do better elsewhere. Under these circumstances it is little 

 short of wonderful that at the end of the season the manager 

 was able to report an unqualified success. Great credit is due 

 to the companies, the majority of which, I am glad to say, stood 

 by their Central. There were a few weak-kneed companies but 

 these dropped out early in the game. 



A brief resume of the work accomplished by this experi- 

 mental Central Association may prove of interest to you. 



In the first place. Nova Scotia had that year a record crop of 

 apples. 



The very magnitude of the crop gave the Central its first 

 opportunity to demonstrate its usefulness. With such a large 

 crop there was naturally a lack of laborers to harvest it. The 

 Central advertised for help and in response to their appeal a 

 small army of laborers invaded the valley and were distributed 

 by the Central to the various companies who had previously 

 made their requirements known. These companies in turn 

 passed the help on to such of their members as required it. 

 Previous to this action by the Central Association the valley 

 laborers were demanding an unreasonable remuneration for 

 picking. The advent of the additional help, however, knocked 

 the bottom out of this "hold up" and the growers, even those 

 altogether outside of the movement, were able to harvest their 

 crop at a reasonable rate. 



It had long been thought that a good market for the farmers' 

 Nova Scotia Gravensteins could be found in the Canadian 

 West. This splendid apple never had a real chance on the Eu- 

 ropean markets on account of the large quantities of English 

 fruit always available on those markets early in the season and 

 the lack of fast boats to place it on that market in prime con- 

 dition. The Central engaged a man of marked ability as a 

 salesman, to go west and see what could be done. As a result 

 of his short trip some 12,000 barrels were shipped to the North- 

 west Provinces by the Central Association. The opening up of 

 this market has proved a great boon to the Nova Scotian apple 

 trade, for, as is ever the case when a new market is found, the 

 old markets were relieved and thereby steadied, resulting in 



