210 



THE CANADIAN HORTICDLTURIBT. 



cheapness with the masses is synony- 

 mous with low prices. With our fruits 

 the lowest in price is often the dearest 

 to purchase. Is it not so in other 

 things 1 



A case or two in point by way of 

 illustration. The Ives grape is one of 

 the first to appear in our markets, 

 coming with or followed closely by the 

 Champion. The reason of this is, it 

 colors early and looks well weeks be- 

 fore it is fit to eat. Some growers at 

 Hammonton and Vineland send for- 

 ward their whole crop of Ives before 

 commencing their Concords, and I am 

 sorry to say the vendors often sell 

 them for Concords, though the latter 

 are the earliest. Ih an interview with 

 a German grape-grower at Yineland 

 last winter, he put it in this way : 

 "Those peepleswho sell Ives so early 

 spile the whole bizness, the Ives be so 

 sour peeples who buys 'em got no more 

 appetite for grapes, and the whole mar- 

 ket be spiled." 



That is just what's the matter ; they 

 break the market with their sour, un- 

 ripe and inferior stuff, that purchasers 

 are afraid to buy, and regard a really 

 good article with suspicion. 



Last fall the grape market was, as 

 usual, pretty well demoralized, and as 

 a consequence, I felt a little concern as 

 to the resulting income from my small 

 crop. 



I kept holding off as well as I could, 

 hoping the receipts would diminish and 

 prices stiffen a little, but no improve- 

 ment seemed apparent, so one day I 

 filled a sample basket and went to New 

 York, to see for myself. Calling on a 

 commission merchant, I enquired what 

 first-class No. 1 Niagaras were bring- 

 ing] Twelve cents was the highest 

 mark and from that down ! I re- 

 marked that I was sorry to hear that 

 as my crop was smaller than usual, and 

 I hoped to do better than that. Ni- 

 agaras, he said, had not been first rats. 



not sweet, and it was hard to get 

 twelve cents. 



" Well," said I, " 1 suppose I will 

 have to take what I can get, even if I 

 am not satisfied. I have brought a 

 sample basket of my fruit, that you 

 may see how it compares with that in 

 the market." 



On removing the cover, the merchant 

 exclaimed, •' Oh "i I was not talking 

 about such stock as that, I meant the 

 best State stock. I have not seen any- 

 thing as fine as those this season. Such 

 fruit as that ought to bring fifteen 

 cents readily." I felt relieved. 1 told 

 him the sample was a fair one, and he 

 could turn it out and find the bottom 

 as good as the middle or top. I left 

 the sample for him to show his custo- 

 mers what they might expect, and re- 

 turned. 



In a day or two I received a note 

 from him stating that his customers, 

 while admitting the fruit to be very 

 fine, that fifteen cents was as much as 

 they were willing to give on account of 

 the abundance of Aimer ia grapes in 

 the maiket and the low prices they 

 brought. While he would like to 

 handle the fruit, he did not. wish to 

 create undue expectations. 



When I got to gathering the crop I 

 took a small load in to the city, and 

 left them with the merchant, merely 

 saying, " do the best you can." 



I due time, the returns came, sixteen 

 cents per pound. 



Why? Simply because the quality 

 was No. 1, and they wore honestly put 

 up. Another party did as well or bet- 

 ter. Does it pay 1 



A merchant sent me an order for 

 some Concords, saying he would give 

 me five cents per pound for them. I 

 filled his order and in a few days I re- 

 ceived a note from him to this effect, 

 " The Concords were fine large clusters, 

 will allow you six cents for them ; they 

 arc worth it, send me some more." 



