NOVA SCOTIA FRUIT GROWERS. 



NOVA SCOTIA FRUIT GROWERS. 



'E HAVE just received an excel- 

 lent report of the annual meeting- 

 of the Nova Scotia Fruit Grow- 

 ers at Wolfville, beginning- Jan. 

 29th. A prominent member of our Associa- 

 tion, Mr. A. H. Pettit, was present and gave 

 an address reviewing- the work of our 

 Association and making- especial reference 

 to the Grading- Inspection Act. The resol- 

 ution of our own committee on this import- 

 ant question was presented by President 

 Bigelow and received with g-eneral approval. 

 The Ontario apple was commended for the 

 commercial orchard by Mr. R. W. Starr, 

 partly on the ground of its standing in 

 Ontario and partly on the partial test it has 

 in Nova Scotia. Mr. Ralph S. Eaton 

 claimed that fruit growing in Nova Scotia 

 was too much occupied with apples, and 

 that plums, pears, cherries and even peaches 

 should be cultivated. He advocated the 

 early establishment of an Agricultural Col- 

 lege at Wolfville. 



Mr. P. Innes objected to the standard 

 barrel to be introduced by Act of Parliament 

 of Canada on the ist of July next, the size 

 of which was 27 inches between heads, 17 

 inches diameter of head and ig inches 

 diameter at bilge. This barrel, he claimed, 

 would hold 103 quarts of fruit, while the 

 barrel adopted by the United States Apple 

 Shippers' Convention would only hold 100 

 quarts. He claimed that Canada would be 

 at a disadvantage and that the same size 

 barrel should be adopted in Canada. He 

 also says that the same barrel should be the 

 standard for pears, potatoes and other pro- 

 ducts, and that the Ontario Association 

 should be asked to co-operate in seeking 

 such amendment. 



Dr. O. E. De Witt spoke on Bills of Lad- 

 ing, protesting against the present contracts 



which place the shipper at a disadvantage. 

 He said, — 



" The clause in the bills of lading now in use, 

 which particularly afifect the shipment of our 

 apples is clause i, which reads as tollows : ' That 

 they shall not be liable for loss or damage done 

 to goods by sweating, insufficiency of package in 

 any respect; leakage, breakage of any kind, pil- 

 ferage, wastage, rottage, rain, spray, rust, fire, 

 heat, frost, decay of any kind, contact with 

 smell or evaporation from any other goods, or 

 loss arising from inaccuracies in obliteration, in- 

 sufficiency of or absence of marks, numbers, 

 addresses, or description of goods shipped, or in- 

 jury to wrappers however caused.' The words in 

 this clause to which I think this association should 

 take exception are, 'breakage of any kind, pilfer- 

 age, rottage, rain, fire, spray, heat, frost, injury 

 to wrappers.' Why should the shipper be respons- 

 ible for breakage or pilferage, or damage done by 

 rats or rain, or fire, heat or frost? If the apples 

 arrive in the cars at the port of export in good 

 condition and if through the carelessness or 

 rough handling of the steamship companies, the 

 goods are injured or damaged in any way, when 

 loading or in transit or unloading, why should 

 the loss be borne by the owner or consignors? 

 Apples are rolled from the cars in Halifax on to 

 the wharf, put into slings and carried in the slings 

 into the hold of the ship. In London, when un- 

 loading, there are three diflEerent modes in vog^e, 

 viz. : in slings, containing from 20 to 30 barrels; 

 by the grappling hooks ; and by sliding the bar- 

 rels on skids from the rail of the vessel to the 

 wharf. The latter mode is a severe strain on the 

 barrel and may damage a barrel that is at all weak. 



" The steamship companies have control of the 

 apples from the time they leave the cars at the 

 wharf in Halifax until they are loaded on the con- 

 signees' vans or lighters. If the barrels are taken 

 on board intact, if in a good sound condition, they 

 reach the hold of the vessel, the responsibility of 

 the shipper ought to cease. If damaged in voy- 

 age by breakage, pilferage, rattage, rain or heat, 

 or by loading or unloading, the steamship com- 

 panies should be responsible. I understand that 

 when damage is sustained to general merchandise 

 through the carelessness or negligence or mis- 

 management of the companies who carry it, they 

 are held and made responsible for the loss. 



' ' Why should not the product of the orchard 

 have the same privilege ? Scarcely an account of 

 sales comes to hand but shows the sacrifice of 

 slack, op>en or damaged barrels. In a few in- 

 stances bad cooperage may be at fault, but it 

 seems to me that when a barrel is found by the 

 steamship company to be unfit for shipping it 

 should be re-coopered at the expense of the ship- 

 per, or laid aside and the shipper notified, but not 

 to be shipped in a damaged condition for the pur- 

 pose of charging the freight. Innumerable in- 

 stances have shown that when such barrels hare 



