214 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



September, 1914. 



Packiag Apples in an Ontario Packing House 



not produce uniformity and will hardly 

 secure the prize unless the other plates 

 are markedly inferior. Uniformity can- 

 not be too greatly emphasized in fact 

 one would make no mistake in placing 

 this point before all others. Uniformity 

 consists in having each .specimen like all 

 others on the plate as far as size, form, 

 color, freedom from blemish, maturity, 

 and so forth, are concerned. 



Freedom from blemishes should i;e 

 rigidly insisted upon. Many will pick up 

 a plate consisting of one or more wormy 

 apples which of itself should be suffic- 

 ient to put the plate outside of first 

 place, because the prize-winning fruit 

 should be at least No. i, and a wormy 

 fruit is certainly not. Too often this 

 jKjint is not given enough attention. 

 Small scab spots, scale insects, bruises, 

 broken stems, and so on, may be found 

 on the fruits that are sometimes exhibi- 

 ted. These should never be allowed. 

 They have frequently been the means of 

 losing first prize for otherwise good fruit. 



EEQUIBBMETS TO OBSERVE 



In order to choose good color, one 

 should know what good color is in the 

 variety under consideration. Abnormal 

 ly high color is not to be desired, but 

 good color for the variety with all other 

 points equally developed, should pro- 

 duce a plate of the right kind of fruit. 



Good color in fruits is usually found 

 on sp>ecimens grown in the sunlight in- 

 dividually rather than in pairs or clus- 

 ters. Most fruit have a natural bloom 

 and this should be preserved without any 

 unnecessary rubbing in handling. 



Form, which is almost as important 

 as color, should be as nearly normal for 

 that variety as it is possible to have it. 

 One familiar with fruit will know that 

 the majority of varieties have a distinct 



form peculiarly their own, and the nearer 

 this form the better. 



One will occasionally look for the 

 largest specimens obtainable. These are 

 usually overgrown, coarse and poorly 

 colored and are seldom to be desired. 

 Specimens somewhat above the average 

 in size with a nearly ideal form, high 

 color and free from blemishes, are the 

 most valuable for exhibiting. Just how 

 large or how small they should be will 

 depend on the other factors that go to 

 make the individual. Avoid abnormal 

 specimens. Quality and texture are 

 largely judged by color and finish. Speci- 

 mens should Ije mature, or nearly so, at 

 the time of exhibiting, and for this pur- 

 pose one has recourse to retarding or 

 hastening maturity for the exhibition. 

 Cold storage should be resorted to when 

 necessary to hold the fruit a considerable 

 time. A cool and comparatively dry 

 place will answer for holding the fruit a 

 short time. 



The season of the different varieties is 

 a varietal difference and varies somewhat 

 with the different seasons. The fruits 

 on a tree are not all at the same stage of 

 ripeness at one ttme, and earlier or later 

 specimens can be chosen as required. 



In collections one must know the re- 

 lative value of the different varieties in 

 order to determine what varieties should 

 go in a specified collection. This is 

 largely gained by experience and com- 

 parison with the -winning collections. 



Score cards are excellent as an aid to 

 standardizine our ideas as regards fruit, 

 and can be followed with profit by any- 

 one intending t^o make his first exhibits, 

 .^s experience is gained one imconsrious- 

 ly fixes in mind the noints that are im- 

 portant and seeks these in making all 

 selections. 



The Prairie Markets 



F. C. hart, Deputmenl of Agricultue, l«raots 



THE conditions which obtain this fall 

 with regard to the western markc 1 

 for Ontario fruit are without pr« - 

 cedent. .Nobody knows what is g<)ing 

 to happen, and it is impossible to pro- 

 phesy. We can readily understand, how - 

 ever, that for Ontario the west may b<- 

 the main market. The diliiculty is in 

 forecasting what the consumption will 

 l3e, and how this consumption will be 

 supplied by apple growing sections oth< , 

 than Ontario. Nova Scotia has a largi 

 crop this year and their markets across 

 the water will Ije seriously curtailed. An 

 endeavor is being made to find a mar- 

 ket for some of their fruit in South 

 America. If however, quantities from 

 Nova Scotia are sent west it will have 

 an effect on the market. 



Financial conditions in the west are 

 reported not to be of the best. This 

 will have an effect on consumption. A 

 good deal depends on the decreased west- 

 ern crop finding a profitable market on 

 account of the war. A large part of the 

 British Columbia apple crop has been of- 

 fered to England by the Government. The 

 apple growing sections south of the line 

 however, have a good clean crop, and 

 much of this fruit will, as usual, seek 

 our western market. Various possibili- 

 ties are open. It may be that the prairie 

 provinces will be flooded with apples 

 from Ontario, Nova Scotia and the 

 United States. This together with lack 

 of money in the west may make this 

 market a very poor one. On the other 

 hand conditions may cause a material 

 increase in the price of all food products, 

 in which apples will have a share, 

 although not to the same extent as the 

 more staple articles of food. There seems 

 10 be no doubt that the western grain 

 crop will find a good market this year, 

 and this to some extent will relieve the 

 financial strain that at present exists, so 

 that the market for apples may not be as 

 difficult as might be anticipated. 



In view then, of the uncertainty of 

 the western market and of the partial 

 stoppage of our usual export market, 

 Ontario growers should ship only their 

 best fruit of their best varieties west this 

 year, and even then it is likely they will 

 have to be satisfied with lower prices, 

 as the expected prices may not be re- 

 alized if an endeavor is made to bring 

 up the total returns by shipping infer- 

 ior grades and varieties. In view of the 

 financial conditions, care should be tak- 

 en to ensure returns. Credits should be 

 closel)' watched. 



Many customers will buy a box who 

 will not buy a barrel. Boxed fruit is 

 more easily handled. — C. J. Thornton, 

 M.P. 



