FRUIT INSPECTION NECESSARY. 



or four seasons become a great favorite, 

 famous in England. Since the means 

 of ocean transportation are improving 

 year by year, the successful exportation 

 of this favorite apple to England is as- 

 sured. Cold storage in transit, is, thanks 

 to our honorable Minister of Agriculture, 

 an accomplished fact. By means of 

 cold storage we can not only put our 

 fruit on the London market in prime 



condition in the autumn, but in years of 

 plenty, by placing our crop in cold stor- 

 age here, and sending forward shipments 

 during winter as prices on the other 

 side improve, prevent a glut in the Eng- 

 lish market which often obtains during 

 heavy fall shipments. My advice to the 

 orchardists of this province is, keep on 

 planting Fameuse, as well, of course, as 

 other varieties that are profitable. 



FRUIT INSPECTION NECESSARY. 



TRONG resolutions have been 

 forwarded the Canadian De- 

 partmentof Agriculture byour 

 Association asking that venti- 

 lation of holds in vessels intended to 

 carry our apples and other fruits, be in- 

 sisted upon ; that government agents 

 be placed at the principal shipping 

 parts to see after the proper loading and 

 storage of our fruits ; and that some 

 steps be taken toward inspection of 

 fruit in closed packages intended for 

 export. 



In these requests, the Fruit Growers' 

 Association's and Horticultural societies 

 of the Dominion have united with us in 

 pressing upon the Minister of Agricul- 

 ture, and we are glad to report that some 

 immediate action will be taken in our 

 behalf, especially in the two first men- 

 tioned points, The latter one, and in 

 our opinion the most important of the 

 three, seems likely to be shelved, because 

 no definite and practical plan has yet 

 been placed before the Minister. 



A special despatch to the Globe, 

 dated Ottawa, May i6th, says : — 



Prof. Robertson tells the Agricultural Com- 

 mittee this morning that the Canadian apple 

 trade in Great Britian is not in a good way 

 owing to lack of care, lack of skill and lack of 

 honesty in packing the fruit and to damage 

 sustained by the fruit in its carriage across 

 the Atlantic. Representations have been 

 made to steamship agents for proper ventila- 

 tion of holds in which apples were carried, 



but up to the present few ships have been so 

 e<juipj)ed. 



In proof of the deception practised in pack- 

 ing, Prof. Rol)ertson read a letter from ex- 

 Mayor '.\»rue of Yarmouth, N. S. , where the 

 salvaged cargo of the Castilian was sold. 

 Mr. Warne expressed disgust at the way in 

 which the barrels were packed, with windfalls 

 in the centre. He sent on two samples of top 

 rows and fillings, which Prof. Robertson 

 showed the committee. The latter was a 

 miserable specimen, not one-sixth the size of 

 the apple which was used at the two ends of 

 the barrel. I'rof. RolKjrtson stated that he 

 had considera])le evidence of the form of dis- 

 honesty which was going to injure the Cana- 

 dian apple trade if it was not stop])ed. 



Several members suggested that inspectors 

 should be placed at the diflFerent ports in or- 

 der to prevent badly packed or dishonest 

 shipments, but Prof. Robertson pointed out 

 that this was a difficult (juestiou to settle. 

 If the fruit-growers would only realize the 

 injury they were doing themselve« they would 

 give up the practice. 



Air. Grindley, the special agent of the 

 department in Britian, pointed out how the 

 Nova Scotia and California apples had made 

 a place for themselves by l>eing of uniform 

 (juality and size, and of one or two varieties, 

 although the so-called Canadian apples were 

 of far better (juality. But these latter were 

 of so many varieties and so badly packed that 

 they were not wanted on the Liondou market 

 and were sent down into the provinces. A 

 model packer was Mr. R. W. Shepherd, of 

 Como, who shipped Fameuse apples to the 

 Prince of Wales and the Army and Navy 

 stores in boxes with a pasteboard compart- 

 ment for each apple and these arrrived in 

 excellent condition. Mr. Grindley spoke 

 strongly on the necessity for proper packing 

 and grading, and packing fruit in a cool state. 

 He was glad to know that the steamship 

 companies were going to provide ventilated 

 compartments for apples. 



Hon. Mr. Fisher stated that thousands of 

 Ontario apples like those shown by Prof. 

 Robertson had been sent to England last 

 year, to the great disgrace of Canada. 



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