THE CANADIAN EXHIBIT OF FRUIT AT PARIS EXHIBITION. 



FRESH FRUIT APPLES. 



Our fine fruit, in such variety, and in 

 such admirable keeping- and condition, as it 

 was throughout the entire seven months 

 duration of the exhibition, seemed a new 

 revelation to many of the visitors. It 

 seemed incomprehensible to most of them, 

 who had never heard of cold storage or had 

 only a vague idea of what it was. 



The entire collection of fruit and 

 vegetables consisted of about 1700 jars in 

 solution and over 500 cases of fresh 

 fruit — apples. 



Although there were a great many of the 

 cases of bottled fruit broken in transporta- 

 tion, there were still nearly 1400 jars in 

 g-ood condition for the exhibition, and 

 nearly a hundred varieties of apples were 

 placed on the tables and stands for our first 

 concours. 



It is perhaps needless to say that many of 

 the jars of fruit in solution were spoiled by 

 the intense heat of the Horticultural build- 

 ing (a glass structure), but about 1200 were 

 still in g-ood condition at the close. The 

 losses were chiefly in the colored fruit, 

 which, while it retained its form, almost 

 entirely lost its color. 



It will be easily understood that the 

 collection and preparation of such an exhibit 

 was no holiday task, and called for sound 

 judg-ment and a great deal of thoughtful 

 consideration from those engaged in it, and 

 also that it was not accomplised without a 

 larg-e outlay of money. 



PREPARATION OF THE PERISHABLE FRUITS. 



For the due preparation of the fruit, 

 scales, weights and measures were neces- 

 sary, besides vessels in \vhich to mix the 

 several solutions. Strainers and filtering 

 papers were also necessary, perfect clean- 

 ness and clearness of the fluids being 

 among-st the conditions required in thorough 

 work. It was further necessary that the 

 ruit should be as nearly as possible without 



bruises or imperfections of any kind, and it 

 is gratifying to know that many fruit 

 growers put their best fruit at our disposal 

 for this purpose and gave us a free hand, so 

 that it was sometimes possible to take our 

 apparatus into a garden and stay a few days 

 in the neighborhood, by this means securing- 

 the best species in the best condition and at 

 once putting it into the preserving fluid, thus 

 obviating the necessity of a second handling. 



The water used in the solution required to 

 be of the clearest. Generally there was no 

 difficulty in procuring it, especially where a 

 filter was within reach. Otherwise distilled 

 water was used when renewing- the solu- 

 tions, as was sometimes necessary in Paris, 

 The Seine water, the only water procurable 

 in the Horticultural building, was very 

 impure. 



All the small soft fruit, ie., the 

 strawberries, raspberries, cherries, currants, 

 gooseberries, &c. , were put up in pint 

 bottles. The greater weight of a larger 

 quantity than a pint would have crushed the 

 fruit, and besides, the smaller bottles 

 showed the fruit to better advantage. Some 

 of the smaller plums, also, Iwere put into 

 these small bottles. 



F"or the general run of plums a quart jar 

 was used, and for the largest sizes a two 

 quart jar. Crab apples and the smaller sizes 

 of apples were also put into the two quart 

 jars. The general run of apples and small 

 sized pears required a gallon jar, or larger, 

 and the largest sizes, Alexanders, &c., took 

 the largest sizes at our disposal, and, un- 

 fortunately, the largest sized jars suff'ered 

 the most in the transportation. 



Packing and placing in cold storage from 

 time to time when a sufficient quantity 01 

 fruit had accumulated it was collected, re- 

 labeled and carefully packed in medium 

 sized cases for shipment and transferred to 

 to the cold storage warehouse, there to 

 remain till finally shipped to Paris. 



The bottled fruit did not suff"er as much 



