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Tlie Horticulturist and Journal 



barrels. These contain about one-half the 

 quantity of our barrels. The so-called stand- 

 ard weight for the grapes packed in a barrel 

 is fifty pounds, but they seldom turn out more 

 than forty pounds, even when they are all 

 sound. The next package for size is known 

 as kegs ; they contain one-half the quantity of 

 a barrel, and generally yield from fifteen to 

 twenty pounds each. The next in order is 

 known as quarters, containing one-fourth of a 

 barrel. There is also another package, a box, 

 said to contain the same quantity of the keg ; 

 but as a general thing they do not sell for as 

 much money as the keg. 



This fruit is all white, and known by the 

 name of Almerica, or Malaga Grape, all of 

 which are packed in cork ground fine. Much 

 of this fruit arrives in poor condition, and is 

 sold very cheap at auction. The mode of sell- 

 ing it is thus : A platform, perha]is three feet 

 high, is raised on trusses in the room. A piece 

 of canvas, four feet square, is laid on it, on 

 which three packages of each line or mark of 

 barrels, kegs or boxes are in turn emptied on 

 it. As soon as one barrel is emptied, it is re- 

 turned to the package until the three are 

 emptied ; then the bidding begins, when, if 

 prices are satisfactory to the owners, the entire 

 line is sold by these three samples. Then 

 three of another mark are exposed until all 

 arc sold. In buying, you must take at least 

 ten barrels, and twenty-five of any of the other 

 size packages. While the fruit is being ex- 

 posed, the buyers crowd around this table, and 

 closely. examine and taste the fruit. When a 

 choice article is offered, the bidding runs high ; 

 if very inferior, it sells low. 



To give some idea of the prices they sell 

 for, I will state that, as near as I can remem- 

 ber, during the present season a choice article 

 of barrels sold from $7 to $10, a fair article 

 from $5 to $G, and a very poor brand as low 

 as $2 ; kegs, choice, from $4 to $6, fair, $2.50 

 $3, and ]:)Oor as low as $1. A choice brand 

 of boxes has rarely sold above $2.50, while I 

 have seen a i^ally good article sell for $1,25, 

 and for poor, 25 cents, These are then placed 

 in the market and sold to the retailers, gener- 

 ally at a good profit, for but few of the retail- 



ers want to buy such large quantities as they 

 are compelled to at the auction room. In 

 many cases they have been retailed on the 

 street at 20 cents per pound, while the better 

 classes sold at 40 cents, and some as high as 50 

 cents per pound. Some of these grapes are very 

 beautiful and sweet, while others look as well, 

 but are very sour ; yet, being white, they sell 

 readily, if they are plump and fresh-looking. 



Lisbon.— 1\\\^ season we have a new va- 

 riety introduced, called the Lisbon Purple 

 Grape. As its name indicates, this is a purple 

 grape, but unlike any of ours, for it A^aries 

 from the darkest shades to a light amber, yet 

 all seem ripe. The first that arrived came in 

 good order, and sold from ten to fifteen dollars 

 per box, but some of the later arrivals came 

 in bad order, and sold at a mere nominal 

 figure. The boxes in which these are packed 

 vary from the others in size and make. They 

 are more the style of the orange box, having a 

 partition in the middle, and contain from fifty 

 to sixty pounds each. These are also packed 

 in ground cork, but very much closer, for the 

 packing indicates that it was the intention of 

 the packer to get in all the grapes he could, 

 which is directly contrary to those packing the 

 Malaga, for in many instances it seems that 

 they tried to get in more cork than fruit. 



Before closing, let me call your attention to 

 one or two other features of this business that 

 I hope may interest you. 



While growers are discussing the profits of 

 growing this or the other kind of grape, their 

 peculiar color, flavor, etc., etc., as being su- 

 perior, and will finally become the leading 

 grape, etc., etc., our buyers care but little or 

 nothing about these peculiarities. What the 

 great mass of our buyers want, is a black 

 grape of good size, fair clusters, but must be 

 sweet. You may call it by any name you 

 choose, the name will not amount to anything 

 with them. I have frequently been amused 

 with some of our German grocers to see with 

 what obstinacy they refuse to purchase any 

 but a black grape. They say they cannot sell 

 any other, for their customers don't know any 

 other kind, and refuse to purchase any but 

 those they are accjuainted with. 



