374 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



dian apples. The Department of Agricul- 

 ture will not take any responsibility, but 

 through the Commissioner of Agriculture 

 and Dairying will assist in securing cool 

 or cold storage space on ocean steamers if 

 early information be given as to the proba- 

 ble quantity, the date of shipment, and the 

 destination desired. 



It will pay to send only selected apples 

 of choice individual quality, and packed in 



boxes rather than in barrels. It will be 

 necessary to have the apples picked and 

 packed on the green or firm side, so that 

 they may be delivered in the United King- 

 dom in such a state that they may be han- 

 dled with a very small percentage of 

 bruised or decayed ones by the retail deal- 

 ers into whose hands they will go from the 

 wholesale centres. 



THE TRANSPORTATION OF APPLES 



ADDRESS DELIVERED BY R. J. GRAHAM, 

 OF BELLEVILLE, BEFORE THE NATIONAL 

 APPLE SHIPPERS' ASSOCIATION, WHICH 

 MET AT ROCHESTER, AUGUST 6 AND 7. 



AVERY interesting paper on trans- 

 portation was then read by R. J. 

 Graham. Mr. Graham is 'Mayor 

 of Belleville, Ont., and is also a large 

 apple shipper, and more particularly a 

 large apple evaporator. 



TRANSPORTATION OF APPLES 



This subject naturally divides itself into 

 two heads, viz., " How can we transport 

 the fruit?" and " In what kind of a pack- 

 age shall we put it?" 



To get an apple from the tree to the 

 consumer at the least cost, and in the most 

 perfect condition, is a problem seriously 

 occupying the attention of all fruit grow- 

 ers and shippers, particularly the members 

 of this association, whose success or fail- 

 ure largely depends on their ability in this 

 direction. 



The first step in transportation is from 

 the tree to the basket, where, in most cases, 

 serious damage is done 



Apple pickers require brains as well as 

 muscle, and to pick an apple properly re- 

 quires some study and experience. The 



writer has noticed many apples literally 

 pulled from the trees with the fruit spur 

 attached, not only damaging the fruit, but 

 ruining the tree itself for future bearing. 



If apples are carefully turned upwards 

 they will break from the fruit spur clean, 

 with the least resistance, and avoid thumb- 

 marks so common in apples, which seri- 

 ously impair the keeping quality and spoil 

 the appearance, particularly of green or 

 yellow fruit. All shippers should instruct 

 their packers very particularly on this 

 point. 



The next move in transportation is from 

 tha basket to the barrel or package in 

 which the apples are taken to market. 

 Again they run a most hazardous gauntlet. 

 Most apples are dumped on the ground in 

 heaps, whereas, in the writer's opinion, ap- 

 ples never should touch the ground, but be 

 carefully emptied on a canvas stretcher of 

 simple construction, holding about three 

 or four barrels at most, and about 3^/^ to 

 4 feet high, so that the sorter may stand 

 up to his work and use both hands and 

 eyes in this most important transaction. 



