No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 597 



being made with special reference to its bearing on the develop- 

 ment of export trade in American fruits. It is becoming very gen- 

 erally recognized that with such fruits as the apple, the pear, the 

 peach, the orange, and possibly some others, the yield in favorable 

 seasons in future is likely to be much larger than has been the case 

 in the past. A wider distribution of the product must, therefore, 

 be accomplished if disastrous gluts are to be avoided. While the 

 larger part of our fruit product will no doubt always be consumed 

 in America, the export is recognized as one of the most important 

 safety valves for surplus fresh fruits. 



Series of shipments to British ports have demonstrated the entire 

 practicability of delivering there in sound and wholesome condition, 

 early summer apples, peaches and pears of the varieties best 

 adopted to our domestic markets and at times when our surplus of 

 them are very likely to occur. In a number of instances such ship- 

 ments have yielded higher net returns than the home markets even 

 in years of high prices at home. In the rase of the Bartlett pear in 

 New York a large and in the main profitable, expert trade has al 

 ready developed along the lines experimentally determined and 

 demonstrated by the Department. 



The profitable exportation of peaches is considered a more uncer- 

 tain matter largely because of the fact that the peach is not ye< 

 sufficiently well known to the great mass of population in nothern 

 and western Europe to be in steady and large demand. The fact 

 that in favorable seasons Elbertas from points as diverse in their 

 conditions as Georgia, Oklahoma and Connecticut have been de- 

 livered in London in good order, and have netted their growers 

 values nearly or quite equal to home markets, is sufficient to indicate 

 that the field is a promising one. Early apples, from those districts 

 like the Chesapeake Peninsula, which can place their product under 

 refrigeration in the foreign markets within ten days after leaving 

 the tree, are worthy of further attention in particular localities, 

 especially in seasons when the European crop of summer fruits and 

 the Australasian crop of winter apples which come into competition 

 with them are light. 



But far more important than any of these is the export trade in 

 winter apples. In all but our very lightest crops the export de 

 mand has in recent years been the most important factor in deterin 

 ining the prices of sound fruit during the autumn and winter. Pot 

 this reason, particular attention has been paid to such questions as 

 size and style of package, method of packing, suitability of variety to 

 market, etc., as well as to the introduction of American apples to 

 markets where they have not hitherto been used in commercial quan 

 tities. Series of shipments of winter apples from representative 

 apple sections, packed in barrels and boxes, both with and without 

 wrapping, comprising both graded and ungraded fruit, are now 

 being made to the principal European seaports to obtain actual ex- 

 perimental data on these vexed questions, which it is practically im- 

 possible for the grower to determine for himself except through lout; 

 and frequently costly experience. Progress reports of this work 

 are given out from 'time to time through papers before associations, 

 such as this, and will eventually be summarized in bulletin form for 

 distribution. 



