54 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



SELLING FRUIT ON THE BASIS OF QUALITY. 



Sir, — The meeting at Woodstock seems to have been the most useful one that we 

 have yet held. Several points would bear discussion in The Horticulturist. For exam- 

 ple : Does the consumer pay for quality as determined by the variety of any fruit, or^ 

 to express it more clearly, does it pay to grow varieties of the best qualities ? It is my 

 opinion that prolific varieties of fair quality give money in almost every case. The extra 

 quality that can be secured by the best culture pays, as the quantity is rather increased 

 than otherwise by such treatment ; not so with the quality that comes by variety. 



A. McNeill, Windsor, Ont. 



The subject touched upon by our correspondent is a very uTiportant one, 

 but at the same time outside the province of growers to control. If we could 

 hold our fruit at our own figures, and place prices upon it according to its real 

 value, something might be worked out that would be satisfactory under this 

 head, but, as it is, we are at the mercy of the buyers, and, in the case of apples 

 which are slaughtered mercilessly, especially at Liverpool, there seems to be 

 little chance for us very speedily to attract that attention to any special varieties 

 which we may desire on account of their quality. The King apple, for instance, 

 has been selling at the top prices in the English market, often bringing $5 to 

 $6 a barrel in Liverpool, but it is noticeable that during this season Baldwins, 

 which had attained a high color, and a large size, so that they presented an 

 equally good appearance on the exterior with the King, brought almost the 

 same money in the Liverpool market. Now there is no comparison between 

 the quality of the Baldwin and the King. The latter stands at the top of the 

 listfor quality, while the Baldwin ranks only about medium. The King is an 

 apple which cannot be grown without great expense, because of its being com- 

 paratively unproductive ; and, unless it gradually reaches so high a price as to 

 make up for this lack of unproductiveness, it will not be profitable for Canadians 

 to grow. It is to be hoped that sooner or later we may be able to sell our fruit 

 on the basis above suggested. If, for instance, a barrel of Greenings is worth 

 $1.50 at the orchard, then surely a barrel of Kings ought to be worth at least $3, 



Barnyard Manure Suffers much Loss in leaching and drying. Prof. 

 Roberts shows that horse manure when thrown out in a pile unsheltered from 

 the weather, loses nearly half its value in Six months ; mixed barnyard manure 

 when piled in a close pile so that fermentation is very slow but without protec- 

 tion from rainfall, loses about one-tenth of its value ; while the loss if thrown 

 under the eaves to be leached by rains and thaws of the winter, is much greater. 

 At the N. Y. Experiment Station, fresh manure piled in conical heaps in January 

 shrank 65 per cent, in weight by April, and the loss of its fertilizing ingredients 

 was equal to $3 per cord of manure. — American Agriculturist. 



