PACKING TENDER FRUITS FOR EXPORT. 



<^J^ T last we believe it is being 



//— A \ proved that we can reach 



/i ) \ the world's best markets with 



some kinds of our tender 



fruits, and get even with California, or 



any other country in our operations. 



The prices obtained in Covent Gar- 

 den for choice Astrachan, Duchess and 

 Alexander apples, viz., about $1.25 for 

 a case containing scarcely a half bushel 

 of fruit, shows how our fine fruit is 

 going to capture the British market. 

 This was no extraordinary shipment. 

 Anyone in Canada was open to have 

 done the same thing, and perhaps many 

 have done so, and have kept the secret 

 for fear others would try it ; ours was a 

 private shipment, but since the writer is 

 also contributing to the Government's 

 shipments, we will contribute all the in- 

 formation we can to the general good. 



Now, because we have succeeded 

 with the apples above mentioned, let 

 no one run away with the idea that 

 indiscriminate shipments of early ap- 

 ples would pay. There are too many 

 risks in such an undertaking for the 

 careless man to succeed ; but the pos- 

 sibility is before us, and the wise man 

 will cautiously try, by the most careful 

 handling, packing and shipping, to at- 

 tain success. 



The fact is, we have over-stocked our 

 Canadian markets with all kinds of 

 fruit, and we must reach out, or enter 

 upon some other industry ; and we 

 appreciate the efforts being made by 

 the Department at Ottawa to open the 

 way for successful export in cold storage. 



The important thing now before us 

 is to follow a uniform style of package 

 and packing. Fortunately, we have hit 

 upon the best package in the world, 

 which every exporter of tender fruits 

 should adopt, viz., the one shown on 



42 



page 303. This case is 22 inches long, 

 i2i^ inches wide, and varies in depth to 

 suit the fruit to be packed. Thus, for 

 pears or apples 3 inches in diameter, we 

 use a case 6 inches deep, to take 60 

 apples, i.e., 5 layers, two deep and 6 

 apples long; for fruit 2}^ inches in 

 diameter, a case 5 inches deep, to take 

 80 apples or pears ; and for fruit 2%^ 

 inches in diameter, a case 41/ inches 

 deep, to take 100 apples. If the fruit 

 is properly sized before wrapping and 

 packing, it is evident that just a certain 

 number, neither more nor less, can be 

 put in a case, and the number should 

 be stamped on the outside end, so that 

 the buyer can tell exactly what sized apple 

 he is selling. To grade for size to suit 

 this special trade in apples and pears, a 

 grader is necessary, because one can 

 never judge entirely by the eye. Our 

 friend, Mr. E. H. Wartman, of King- 

 ston, deserves the credit of being the 

 first to invent a grader for apples which 

 can be made at a reasonable price, 

 compared with the expensive graders 

 used in California for oranges. 



By means of this the fruit can be 

 sized to fit each case, and is then ready 

 for wrapping. We have been using 

 thin Manilla tissue, ten inches square 

 for apples and pears, and 8x8 inches 

 for plums and peaches. This can be 

 purchased wholesale at about 18 cents 

 a thousand squares. 



It is also important to stamp the 

 grade on each box. We use two grades 

 of our choice fruit, viz., A No. i and 

 No. I ; with occasionally a case of very 

 large and very fine samples, which we 

 labelled Extra A No. i. 



It would manifestly be absurd to put 



up in these small packages anything of 



an ordinary grade ; for such a course 



would make a failure of the business by 



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