26 



THE CANADIAN H0R1ICUL7 URIS T. 



shillings this week. We sold quite a number of 

 baskets to interested parties who called at our 

 office at IS. to 2S. 



If we had reported to you duiing the first three 

 days after arrival, we should have said the trial 

 was an utter failure. We could not get a bid from 

 shopkeepers or hawkers, and it really seemed as 

 though we should have to give them away liter- 

 ally, especially as some of the crates were running. 

 This state of affairs naturally made us anxious to 

 get them off our hands, so when the barrowmen 

 started bidding 20s. a score crates, we let them go 

 and gradually worked up to 40s. At these prices 

 they were thoroughly distributed all over the dis- 

 trict. We kept back some fifty crates until this 

 week just to test their keeping qualities and to see 

 how the public took to those sold. They kept well 

 and we made from 2s. 3d to 3s. per crate as 

 mentioned above. 



It is most unfortunate that the shipment was all 

 crowded into one steamer and was so much de- 

 layed, as it now really looks as though a second 

 lot would have paid the loss on the first. We en- 

 close cuttings from various papers. 



COPY OF PRESS NOTICES. 



Grocers' Review, Nov. 28th, i8gg. — "Success 

 has attended the experimental shipment of grapes 

 to Manchester. We have received a sample basket 

 of the grapes, which the Ontario Government is 

 introducing into this country, from Messrs. B. W. 

 Potter & Co., produce brokers, 7 Corn Exchange 

 Buildings, Manchester, and can testify to the ex- 

 cellence of the fruit." 



Manchester Guardian, Nov. 14th, i8gg. — 

 Messrs. B. W. Potter & Co., produce brokers of 

 7 Corn Exchange Building, Manchester, inform 

 us that the Government is making use of the re- 

 frigerating chambers which are fitted on the 

 steamers on Manchester-Canadian line to intro- 

 duce fresh fruit, grown in Ontario, into this 

 country. An experimental consignment of grapes 

 has been shipped by the Manchester Trader, due 

 in the canal next Saturday. Great care has been 

 exercised in the choice of the suitable variety, and 

 the grape chosen is a hybrid between the best 

 European and American species. It is grown in 

 two colors — red and black — and is said to be of a 

 large size and rich flavour. The packing has re- 

 ceived particular attention, and the fruit has been 

 put up in small ' veneer ' baskets with handles, 

 each basket containing about 4 lbs. The result of 

 the experiment will be watched with interest." 



Daily Mail, London, Nov. 28th, i8gg. — "There 

 is every prospect of a cheap supply of grapes 

 being put upon the English markets in future 

 years during the autumn and winter months. Al- 

 ready the test shipments of these fruits, carried in 

 refrigerated chambers, are on show at Manchester, 

 and the trade expresses much satisfaction at the 

 salable nature of the fruit. There can be no doubt 

 that this great development of the Canadian fruit 

 trade in the United Kingdom will do much to ex- 

 tend the demand for cheap late grapes, for hither- 

 to the middle and working classes have had to de- 

 pend upon the hard Spanish Almerias, which are 

 sent into our ports packed in cork-dust in barrels 



weighing from 50 lb. to 60 lb. gross. These are 

 the well known green grapes, so popular with 

 grocers and tried fruit traders. The Canadian 

 supply will ensure ample quantities of lucious, 

 aromatic grapes of far superior quality to the 

 Almerias and at a reasonable price. These new 

 grapes have already produced a bit of a sensation 

 in fruit trade circles, for when arrangements have 

 been completed the English markets will be kept 

 well stocked with regular shipments of fresh 

 grapes put in dainty little baskets, and thus render 

 the storage of Almeria grapes by market men, to 

 ensure supplies after Christmas unnecessary. The 

 quality of the fruit is excellent, and it is highly 

 satisfactory to know that Canada can send to this 

 country all late cheap grapes we need. Although, 

 as previously announced in the 'Daily Mail,' the 

 Canadian fruit exports will introduce the finest 

 pears that are grown, yet the addition of late 

 grapes by no means exhausts the list. Various 

 other fruits are to be sent in time, and the French, 

 Spanish and Dutch shippers will find many of 

 their fruits displaced by the superior products de- 

 spatched from Canada." 



COPY OF LETTER FROM MR. PETER BYRNE, AGENT 

 FOR ONTARIO AT LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND. 



Liverpool, Dec. ist, 1899. 

 Sir: 



I visited Manchester a few days ago to make in- 

 quiry about your consignment of fruit. I learned 

 from Mr. Potter that though the grapes had been 

 seriously delayed in transit they arrived in very 

 good order, with the exception of a small percent- 

 age which were somewhat damaged. Some of 

 these I saw in Mr. Potter's office, which had been 

 taken out of store that day. They were wet and 

 to some extent affected with mould. Mr. Potter 

 gave me some particulars of what he had done to 

 effect a satifactory sale and referred to the trade 

 prejudices and other drawbacks he had met with. 

 I learned that notices had appeared in the local 

 papers drawing attention to the shipment, and a 

 very good one appeared in the London "Mail" 

 from its Manchester correspondent. I sent you a 

 copy of this paper by last post. At the time of my 

 visit all the grapes had been disposed of except 

 fifty crates. The apples I understand turned out 

 very well, except the "Snows," which had suffered 

 some damage. Regarding the grapes, it appears 

 to me that if steps were taken to give the public 

 better opportunities of seeing and tasting them, 

 they could not fail to sell promptly and well on 

 their merits. I loaked into all the fruit stores in 

 several leading streets in Manchester expecting to 

 see samples of your grapes, but in vain. I saw 

 nothing in the shop windows half so tempting as 

 your neat little baskets of grapes would be at the 

 comparatively reasonable prices at which they 

 could be sold. It has occurred to me in thinking 

 over the matter that in future shipments a special 

 arrangements should be made with one or more 

 leading retail shops in the large cities to expose 

 the grapes for sale in their shop windows, at the 

 same time guaranteeing the owners against loss 

 for a season or two until the fruit had won its way 

 into public favor. In this way I am convinced 

 that the prejudices of the fruit dealers would be 



