CLOSE OF THE GLASGOW EXHIBITION. 



15 



that was asked daily throughout the sum- 

 mer was " How is it that we cannot procure 

 fruit now like what we see here ?" or 

 "Where can we buy fruit like this?" It 

 was necessary to explain to the questioners 

 that the present system of cold storage 

 which produced such splendid results, was 

 comparatively new, and that, in a year or 

 two, undoubtedly equally good fruit would 

 be procurable in the summer months. 



A frequent complaint from those who did 

 appreciate the value of fruit for daily use 

 was that in buying a barrel of apples for 

 home use a great deal of loss was incurred 

 from the bruised apples, that soon began to 

 decay. Many declared that a quarter or 

 even a half was lost before the barrel could 

 be used, and when shown the forty pound 

 boxes of sound apples, that were sent for 

 our exhibit, they exclaimed that that was 

 just the thing required to perfect the fruit 

 trade. My own conviction is that the 

 barrel is doomed as a marketing package 

 for apples, at least for choice fruit. 



The question of a perfect package is a 

 most important one. If growers and pack- 

 ers could only realise the immense loss that 

 is annually incurred by loose apples in barrels 

 — slack, they call them here — they would 

 endeavor to devise some other form of pack- 

 age. I went on several occasions to some 

 of the large establishments for the sale and 

 disposal of fruit, and when based on what 

 I saw there, I say that the loss is enormous, 

 I do not, in the least, exaggerate. 



Let me here tell you something of the 

 several kinds of cases in which our exhibition 

 fruit was packed, and then you will under- 

 stand better what the ideal package should 

 be. 



There was — first — the case in which the 

 apples were wrapped in a single thickness 

 of tissue paper, and filled up without any 

 other effort to save the fruit from injury, 

 and one lot of the very finest fruit was sent 

 on in that way. It is needless to say that it 

 reached us in bad condition. 



The next was a case in which the apples 

 were wrapped in two thicknesses of heavy 

 paper, without any other separation. This 

 fruit arrived in better condition. 



Another lot was packed like the last 

 mentioned, with a straw board between the 

 layers of fruit, this lot arrived in fair con- 

 dition. 



A fourth lot came wrapped in double 

 Manilla paper in separate compartments — in 

 egrg cases — and arrived in very good condi- 

 tion. 



A fifth lot came in ^^% cases, in separate 

 compartments and also arrived in very fair 

 condition. 



A sixth lot came in separate compart- 

 ments — Q.^% cases — wrapped in double 

 paper, the inner paper waxed. These were 

 in many cases perfect. As were also those 

 in the seventh lot that were doubly wrapped 

 like the sixth, but were packed in Excelsior. 

 Several kinds in this last package were in 

 almost perfect condition. 



The sixth of these packages, i.e., the 

 separate compartment case, with the apples 

 wrapped in double paper, the outer wrapper, 

 manilla plain, the inner one waxed, seems 

 to approach the ideal package. If such a 

 case could be supplied at a sufficiently low 

 price, it would satisfy a general want and 

 leave little further to be desired. I may say 

 that the seventh seemed to be the favorite 

 shape; it was about 22 inches long by 11 

 inches wide and deep. The other cases 

 were generally 22 inches square by 10)^ 

 inches deep. 



A package for plums and pears and 

 peaches might be half the size of that for 

 apples. 



I was very much gratified to see the fine 

 prices realised for handsome, well-packed 

 apples just before All Hallowe'en. I saw 

 some sell up to 32s. per barrel. Prices fell 

 considerably immediately after Hallowe'en. 



R. Hamilton. 



Glasgow, Nov. 21st, 1901. 



