PRICES BEING PAID FOR APPLES 



Careful inquiries have been made by The 

 Horticulturist during the past few weeks to 

 ascertain the size and condition of this year's 

 apple crop and the prices growers, more par- 

 ticularly those in Ontario, should realize for 

 their apples. The total crop this year is some- 

 what smaller than last season, both in this 

 country and in the United States. In Great 

 Britain there is a fairly large crop, which will 

 not materially affect the demand for high-class 

 Canadian fruit. There is no reason apparent 

 why prices of apples this year should not reach 

 the average figufe of 75 cents to $1 per barrel on 

 the trees. 



In the United States orchardists generally 

 are more sanguine regarding market prospects 

 than dealers. Buyers are reporting large 

 crops, but as growers do not .seem inclined to 

 accept these estimates, comparatively few pur- 

 chases have been made to date for delivery of 

 winter apples. In New England buyers and 

 sellers are wide apart. I>ealers have been of- 

 fering an average of $1 per barrel, while farm- 

 ers are holding for $1.50 to $2. Throughout 

 New York buyers are talking $1 and $1.50, while 

 growers refuse to listen to anything less than 

 $1.50 to $2. The same condition generally 

 exists throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio. 



In Ontario there appears to be almost a com- 

 bination between brokers and buyers to depress 

 the price in the interest of the dealers. As the 

 quality of the crop is fairly good, in spite of 

 much poor fruit in some sections, there is no 

 strong reason why the average price should not 

 reach 75 cents to $1 per barrel on the trees for 

 No. 1 and good No. 2 apples. 



The fruit division at Ottawa reports to The 

 Horticulturist that as a result of inquiries it 

 finds 75 cents is being offered in the best apple 

 districts for winter stock. In some sections of 

 Ontario where the fruit generally has not been 

 sprayed, and only "a small proportion of which 

 grades No. 1, growers are finding it difficult to 

 make sales as buyers refuse to take their crops 

 at any price. 



Special reports received by The Horticultur- 



ist from various sections of the province are 

 here given : 



In Ontario county Elmer Lick reports all 

 kinds of prices are being paid, ranging from 50 

 cents to $1 per barrel picked off the trees. 

 Sales have been made at these prices. The 

 average by the barrel will probably be between 

 50 and 75 cents for the fruit on the trees. The 

 quality of the fruit was never better. In this 

 same county Mr. George Toole, of Brock Road, 

 reports 50 cents has been paid for fall apples 

 and Greenings on the tree, while winter varie- 

 ties are bringing 75 cents on the tree, the 

 grower to board the pickers and pay the team- 

 ing to the railway stations. Some few sales 

 have been made at this figure. 



In the northern part of Huron county, accord- 

 ing to Mr. A. E. iSherrington, of Walkerville, 

 there have been but few buyers up to date. For 

 fall apples 60 cents per barrel has been offered, 

 with no quotations as yet for winter apples. 



Buyers in the vicinity of Warnoch are offer- 

 ing 75 cents per barrel for fall and winter ap- 

 ples. In this district Mr. George Fothergill 

 reports he does not believe that there will be 

 more than one-half as many winter apples as 

 last year. Offers of -50 cents to 75 cents per 

 barrel for winter apples are being made in Perth 

 county. One grower, Mr. Joseph Chantler, 

 states that winter apples are scarce, he having 

 been offered as high as $1.50 per barrel for good 

 Spys by a neighbor. Few buyers have put in 

 an appearance in this vicinity. 



Near Barrie, in Simcoe county, one buyer 

 generally takes most of the crops at about $1 

 per barrel. A second buyer in this district, 

 who purchases crops in sugar barrels with 

 open heads, recently offered Mr. George Otta- 

 way $1 per barrel for large sugar barrels, and 

 sales are being made at that price. The crop 

 of winter apples will be less than 70 per cent, 

 of last year's crop, and growers seem to think 

 that they should realize better prices than are 

 being offered. A report from Mr. Herbert 

 Stratton, of Durham county, shows buyers are 

 offering 75 cents per barrel. 



EUROPEAN APPLE CROP AND PRICES 



The following special reports have been re- 

 ceived by The Horticulturist from leading Brit- 

 ish apple importers and commission dealers: 



The -autumn and winter crop is a heavy one 

 in most of the English apple growing districts, 

 the crop of Blenheim Orange Pippin being the 

 heaviest for many years. Not being gathered 

 in, we cannot say how the winds may affect 

 them. At present they are growing fast and 

 are showing fine quality. — (George R. Smith & 

 Co., Manchester, England. 



There is an extra heavy crop of English and 

 continental fruit. English growers are offering 

 finest large samples of fruit, selected at $5 to 

 $6 per ton, and are quite prepared to con- 

 tract forward of this price for the next three 

 months. We therefore do not expect that your 

 early Greenings, and such like varieties, will 

 command high prices. — (Clark & Sinclair, Dun- 

 dee, Scotland. 



The apple crop in this country, as well as on 

 the continent, is an exceptionally good one, both 

 as to quantity and quality, and, while it must 

 to some extent prejudice early importations 

 from your side of the Atlantic, it can hardly in- 

 fluence much the later arrivals or winter varie- 

 ties reaching us by the end of October. Indi- 

 cations from some Canadian shippers point to 

 anticipations of prices equal to those of last sea- 

 son, and although it is quite possible that for 

 best varieties we may realize as high prices as 

 were obtained last season, it will be better, 

 nevertheless, to reckon upon general averages 

 of from 10s. to 14s. per barrel, and for choice 

 varieties 12s. to 16s. or 18s. for arrivals to end 

 of December. It must be borne in mind, how- 

 ever, that these prices can only be taken as ap- 

 plying to best fruit packed by men well up to 

 the requirements of tight packing, grading and 

 selecting. Common or badly packed sorts will 



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