September, 1916. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



215 



while the four-fifth has an area of 

 about 25 square inches. It is therefore 

 obvious that our competitors can face 

 their package considerably cheaper 

 than we can our four-fifth. The main 

 point, however, is that were packages 

 standai-dized everybody would be on 

 an equal basis as far as packages are 

 concerned. 



Our 24 two-fifth package, generally 



speaking, is not popular- on the 



prairies. This package is used chiefly 



or raspberries, and, owing to th€ very 



-hallow hallock, which is only one inch 



1 depth, the bottom of the container 



N often expo.sed. This is especially 



iie case when the berries receive a jolt 



111 transit, which is often unavoidable 



The impression given to the consumers 



is that they are not recei\'ing value. I 



have often received complaints and en- 

 quiries as to whether the package was 

 a legal one. My assurances that it is 

 a legal two-fifth hallock apparently 

 have not satisfied those enquiring, who, 

 in every case, have been consumers. 

 Practically our only competitor with 

 this package is Puyallup, who uses the 

 shallow pint, which measures 11/4 ins. 

 in depth. The additional one-quarter 

 inch has made a great difference in its 

 appearance on arrival, with the result 

 that the shallow pint has found favor 

 and ia ito be commended fbr rasp-, 

 berries. Some of our raspberry ship- 

 pers have realized this and have been 

 using it. Unfortunately, with the 

 smaller package ,also in evidence, they 



(Continued on Page 226.) 



Packing the 1916 Apple Crop 



D. Johnson, Dominion Fruit Commissioner, Ottawa, Ont. 



IT is evident that the apple crop of 

 Ontario and Quebec will be of very 

 low grade. The time is opportune, 

 iierefore, to advise the trade to use 

 very precaution in seeing that they 

 iace upon the market apples properly 

 icked and of such quality that they 

 > ill not be ruinous to our markets. 



It would appear that the apple crop 

 is much the same as last yearjK The 

 quantity will perhaps be a little less 

 and the quality of even lower grade. 

 This would indicate that there will be 

 but a small proportion of No. 1 fruit, 

 and that most of the apples which will 

 go into consumption must be graded 

 No. 2 and No. 3. 



For Nos. 1 and 2 we predict a good 



demand and we believe the consuming 

 public will be willing to pay a reason- 

 ably high price for apples of these 

 grades. For good No. 3 apples there 

 will also be a strong demand, but it is 

 very important that they should be 

 good No. 3's and not similar in quality 

 to much which was packed last year. 

 The season of 1915 is still fresh in 

 our minds. It will be remembered for 

 many years by the dealers who bought 

 and packed No. 3 apples, much of 

 which were nothing more nor less than 

 trash. This fruit could not do any- 

 thing but depress the market and 

 cause losses to all who handled it. The 

 expense of picking, packing and mar- 

 keting a barrel of poor No. 3's is the 



same as it would be in the case of a 

 barrel of good apples, and why so 

 many growers and packers will persist 

 in packing this rubbish is more than I 

 can understand. 



Unfortunately the Fruit Inspectors 

 have very little control over the pack- 

 ing of No. 3. The law requires that 

 they shall be iionestly faced, and that 

 the face or shown surface shall be a 

 fail- representation of the contents of 

 the package, but further than that we 

 have no control. This means that ap- 

 ples of the most miserable quality, as 

 long as they are honestly faced, may 

 be graded No. 3. It is such fruit as 

 this which caused the slump in apple 

 prices last winter. 



A good pack of No. 3's, namely, ap- 

 ples well matured, well colored, sound, 

 but affected with scab, is in demand 

 and would serve a good purpose. 

 Some packs of No. 3 are as serviceable 

 as No. 1 or No. 2, for while the scab 

 prevents them from long-keeping, yet 

 with proper storage they supply the 

 demands of the consumers at fair 

 prices. 



At the commencement of this sea- 

 son I, therefore, urge all packers of 

 fruit to refrain from packing such low 

 grade apples as many did last year. 

 It is much better to sell such apples to 

 the cider factories, or feed them to 

 stock, than to allow them to go on the 

 market, making returns which scarcely 

 cover operating expenses. More than 

 that, the marketing of inferior fruit 

 will turn the public from our own ap- 

 ples to Avestern packs, upon which they 

 can always rely, and from which they 

 always receive value for their money. 



The returns from this year's apple 

 crop are in the hands of the packers. 

 If they fail to live up to their oppor- 

 tunities, and still persist in flooding the 

 markets with low grade fruit, they will 

 experience another year of disappoint- 

 ment similar to 1915. 



Th* a<l\fnt <>f the f(xji>er.ative movement In Nova Scortia has largely revolutionized packing 

 methods In the piwlnce. The Interior of the packJng house a,t Kentville. N..S.. is here shown. 



Harvesting Apples 



Prof. W. G. Brierley, University Farm, St. Paul 



The proper time to begin picking 

 the apple depends upon the season 

 of the variety, its behavior after 

 picking, the color of the fruit and the 

 marketing plan. Summer and early 

 fall apples should be picked and hand- 

 led much the same as i)ears, as they are 

 perishable and "go down" rapidly. 

 The Duchess is an example. This 

 variety should l)e picked when it has 

 made good size and color, but before 

 any softening begins, but never before 

 it is well developed, as it will shrivel 

 badly. Successful marketing of the 

 Duchess depends very largely upon 

 firmness, as soft apples of this variety 

 bruise readily and settle in the barrel, 

 giving a poor appearance. Varieties 



