90 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



but during the last five years this country shows a decrease under 

 Canada of 14%. This is the first time it has happened in over thirty 

 years, and should cause us to wake up. Canada has shown a steady in- 

 crease from 1882 down to date, and a very large increase since 1902. 

 At the close of that five-year period her exports had reached 2,450,101 

 barrels; at the close of the last five-year period they were considerably 

 over 5,000,000 barrels, or more than double. During the last five years 

 the United States has shown a decline of from over 8,000,000 barrels to 

 about 4,500,000 barrels. 



What is the cause of this? In 1902 (I think) the Dominion Govern- 

 ment established its Fruit and Marks Act, and ever since has been 

 acting thereunder. This Act was amended in 1906, and you will ob- 

 serve that from then on her success has been phenomenal. In an ad- 

 dress delivered before the New York Agricultural Society at Albany. 

 X. Y., during the week of January 15th, J. A. Ruddick of Ottawa, the 

 Dominion Cold Storage and Dairy Commissioner, said that before the 

 law was enacted the apple industry in Canada was in a declining condi- 

 tion and seemed doomed. Said he: 



"The packing was so bad no one would purchase apples without 

 seeing them, even though thev were offered as marked with a dozen 

 Z's. a mark of superiority, as they sometimes were. * * * There is 

 still improvement to be made, but on the whole the markets of fruit 

 especially of apples, has almost been revolutionized. Brokers will now 

 purchase on the grade with a reasonable assurance of getting what they 

 bargain for." 



Some of the big reasons for the decline of our open exports may be 

 summed up in the words, "junk," cider apples, poor packing, deceit 

 and lack of standards, undermining confidence and disgusting the pur 

 chaser. I wanted to find out last year what the trouble was and how 

 we could broaden our markets. I took it up with our foreign consuls and 

 others, and here are two samples of the replies: 



Quotation from a letter by a U. S. Consul in Europe, written to 

 the Secretary of the International Apple Shipper's Association July 13, 

 1911: 



"There is no doubt, however, that the sale of American apples could 

 be greatly extended, if our shippers would be more careful in the selec- 

 tion and packing of apples intended for this market. 



There has been so much dishonesty practiced in the past 

 that a number of dealers would not handle the American fruit if they 

 were not obliged to do so * * *." 



The following is a translation of a letter received from one of the 



more important handlers of fruit in ■ * * * * * in answer 



to interrogatories sent from this office: 



"(1) During the past season American apples in barrels have ar- 

 rived badly damaged, owing to the careless manner in which the fruit 

 was ] tacked. American packers do not use the same care in sorting 

 apples as in former years. In most cases the barrels contain apples of 

 three or four different sizes and vary greatly in appearance. The top 

 layers are good, while the middle and bottom rows are very different 

 both in size and quality. 



Inferior fruit should remain in the United States. In my opinion the 



