592 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
Of this amount, 1,560,000 pounds of peaches, peeled and unpeeled, 
can be fairly estimated, say— 
1,000,000 pounds unpeeled, valued at 5 cents..........---------.----. ------ $50, 000 
"500, 000 pounds peeled, valucdiat 7 cents 222-55. 2-2 Scocec acess ee ee 39, 000 
1,500, 000 pounds apples;valued at'44,cents) 227-52 --- <- 25. 2 = een erie eee 67,500 
700, 000 pounds blackberries, valued at 6 cents .----..----.--------------- 42, 000 
50, 000 pounds raspberries, valued at 20 cents..---.--------+-.-4..------ 10, 000 
200, ‘000 pounds cherries, valued. at Ts cents —--2. .--..-2--< ssc -5 e8eeenee 26, 000 
50, 000 pounds whortleberries, valued at 9 cents...-..-...-.---.--------- 4,500 
Malano-total yalueofreceiptsas-ssccsesiedeeec sss s+ oases ba 4--- $235, 000 
The dried-fruit product of North Carolina alone is valued at $400,000 
annually. 
As the producers are taking more care of their fruit, the quality of 
the dried article has greatly improved ot late years. The greatest im- 
provement has been noted in apples, especially so with sliced apples, 
which now come to market from some sections perfectly white, well 
cored, and thin as paper, which quality always brings the highest prices 
and 1 is used entirely for domestic purposes, being consumed principally 
in the Upper Lake regions, Canada, and Eastern British Possessions. 
The quarter-sliced apples, that is to say, an apple cut into from six 
to eight pieces, well cored and pared, are also largely received in Balti- 
more, and is the only style of dried fruit that is exported to any extent, 
as the foreign markets call for this class of goods entirely. Very few 
peaches or small fruits go abroad. 
The machine-dried fruits are generally much brighter and bring higher 
prices, and for these reasons do not come in competition with the sun 
or kiln dried fruits. It is claimed by the owners of the patent driers 
that the fruit contains more of the saccharine matter; but properly sun 
or kiln dried fruit, in the opinion of dealers, is as good and contains as 
much of the original value of the fruit as the machine-dried fruit pos- 
sesses. 
The prices for 1877 were lower, in comparison, than in former years, 
from the fact that there were two large crops, especially of apples, and 
not all being consumed, the surplus was preserved in cooling-houses 
and carried over to 1877, and came in direct competition with the new 
crop. This had a tendency to keep prices low; but the main reason 
was from the fact that the duty on foreign dried fruits had been greatiy 
reduced, particularly as to prunes, which, coming in competition with 
the domestic dried fruits, and having the preference with most con- 
sumers, had a disastrous effect on the prices, and hence the low figures 
obtained on the domestie fruits. 
Messrs. T. M. Bartholomee & Co., of Baltimore, writing to the depart- 
ment ‘on this subject, state that, in the year 1876, the shipments of dried 
fruits to Europe were enormous, their house alone selling for the Ger- 
man market over two millions of pounds; that the succeeding year, on 
account of the large crop in 1876 and the market being overcrowded, 
the exports were not so great, but that there was a steadily increasing 
foreign demand. 
The only authentic information in regard to the trade in Saint Louis 
is given in the following table: 
