REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 115 



iind provision dealers in other towns and cities — are larger 

 this season than ever before, and relate almost exclusively to 

 American fruits. 



OUR PRUNES SUPPLANT FRENCH. 



" Pacific Coast prunes are rapidly supplanting the fine but 

 expensive French product and the low-grade Bosnian prunes 

 in the German market, and there is nothing here that can 

 successfully compete with the dried pears and peaches and 

 evaporated apples from the United States. It will, therefore, 

 be of interest to American exporters to know that the tedious 

 and annoying inspection of dried fruits at the German fron- 

 tier, as a precaution against the supposed danger from the 

 San Jose scale, has been discontinued since the first of last 

 month, so that the way is now open to an unrestricted trade. 



" Last year the supply of American dried fruits was insuffi- 

 cient to meet the demands of the German market, but this 

 year large contracts have been made by American merchants, 

 who, after visiting the Paris Exposition, have come to this 

 country, and by way of combining business with travel, have 

 visited the principal German cities and personally offered 

 their products to the more important dealers. 



CAREFUL PACKING NECESSARY. 



"As to fresh fruits, the inspections at the frontier will be 

 still maintained, but, it is believed, in a fair and liberal 

 spirit. It is noted in this connection that hitherto cases of 

 San Jose scale have been found most frequently among the 

 highest and most expensive class of apples, such as are 

 wrapped in tissue paper and put up in boxes for family and 

 hotel use, whereas such infection has rarely been detected in 

 the common grade of apples, which are packed loosel}" in 

 ordinary barrels. This probably results from tlie fact that 

 the choicest American apples come from a state or district 

 specially infected by the scale, whereas the states along the 

 northern frontier, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, and 

 Iowa, are generally free from it. It is suggested by the 

 German importers that if, before being wrapped and packed, 

 the high-class apples could be wiped or brushed, especially at 

 the ends of the core, whatever scale exists might be easily 

 removed and thus whole shipments of such expensive fruit, 

 now liable to be condemned, would be enabled to pass the 

 inspection without danger." 



