Horticulture in Oregon. 233 



of Pacific Coast apples abroad by way of New Yorli is a noteworthy feature 

 of the friut trade, and is exciting no little interest ; large quantities of New- 

 town Pippins in boxes weighing fifty pounds net, grown on the Pacific Coast, 

 principally in Oregon, have been sent to this city of late, in carload lots, and 

 from New York have been sent directly abroad." But it is not England 

 alone, there is a growing market in Germany and France for our fruit. My 

 advices from consuls and clerks are very enthusiastic and encouraging. Mr. 

 Cunningham. Consul in Chemnatz, Germany, a large manufacturing center, 

 writes to me : "I wish I had time to detail to you the desires of the people here 

 for our fruits. Germans hunger for our fruits — apples before all others, etc." 

 In France we have a promising market for our Oregon (Italian) prunes and 

 for apple "chops." Mr. Joseph I. Brittain, Consul at Nantes, France, writes to 

 me : "There is a large demand for evaporated apples, known as 'chops.' These 

 apples, which are the lowest grade of windfalls, are sliced thin and dried, in- 

 cluding skins, seeds and core. They are packed in plain barrels. The poorer 

 classes use large quantities of these apples for making an apple wine, known 

 as 'piquette.' Last season one firm imported 12,000 barrels of apple chops, at 

 a cost of 7 cents per pound." Mr. Albion W. Tourgee, Consul at Bordeaux, 

 France, says in this connection, that two years ago thirty-five million gallons 

 of this piquette were used, which increased to fifty million gallons last year ; 

 and as it takes one pound of chops to one gallon of piquette, it means fifty 

 million pounds of apple chops, or 2,.'j00 car loads. And so are all other reports 

 of foreign States, many stating that instead of exporting as heretofore, they 

 were now importing more and more each season. 1'here is also a market for 

 our French prunes, Petite d'Agen. Shortly after my return from Japan last fall, 

 Mr Martineau, representing the firm of A. E. Mouling, Bordeaux, France, called 

 on me regarding the purchase of prunes, and in our conversation I learned 

 that he wanted the French prune as grown here, saying that he could not use 

 the California French prune, as they were sundried. He preferred our "evaporated" 

 French prune.s as being more like their own ; in fact were sold in France as 

 the French product. Latest advices from Berlin, Germany, say : "In view of 

 the circular sent by the German government to the chambers of commerce 

 and other bodies, inquiring as to the desirability of a duty on fruit, the Society 

 of Hamburg Fruit Dealers, has adopted a resolution declaring emphatically that 

 American fruit is indispensable there, and protesting energetically against a 

 duty." To illustrate how this European market has developed, I may state 

 that in the season 1890-1000, the Pacific Coast — principally Oregon — shipped 

 via New York 149,515 boxes of apples, distributed among foreign ports as 

 follows : 



To Liverpool 58,022 boxes 



To London 70,724 boxes 



To Glasgow 13,118 boxes 



To Hamburg 4,826 boxes 



To Hull 1,925 boxes 



These apples brought in the English markets an average price of 11 shillings 

 per box, according to variety and condition, and in the German markets 12 marks 

 — being about .f3 per box. This demand increased from year to year, until it 

 has I'eached shipments over four hundred and fifty thousand boxes to Europe the 

 past season. The entire output for the year 1903 in Oregon was : 



Apples .? 640,000 



Pears 148.500 



Prunes 900,000 



Peaches 75,000 



Cherries 35.000 



Grapes 50.000 



Strawberries and other small fruits 652,500 



Grand total $2,501,000 



