360 



THE CA NA DIA N HOR TIC UL TURIS T. 



On handing our card to Mr. Garcia, with 

 whom we have many times had correspond- 

 ence, he received us with the greatest cour- 

 tesy, and gave us much attention and the 

 fullest explanation, while the auctioneer, 

 Mr. Simons, sold 1,500 boxes of Tasmania 

 apples. The time occupied was little more 

 than half an hour, and yet the prices were 

 very satisfactory. Their boxes are not 

 nearly as attractive as those our apple 

 growers are using; they are smaller, too, 

 and the fruit is not packed in them so neat- 

 ly, although in most cases wrapped with 1 

 thin paper. The favorite variety from Tas- 

 mania seemed to be the Sturmer Pippin, 

 which sold wholesale at from $2.25 to $2.50 

 a box. Mr. Garcia gave us a sample to 

 eat, and certainly the flavor was good. In 

 size it is about equal to the average Bald- 

 win, but not so highly colored. In our 

 opinion it cannot be compared to our Cana- 

 dian Baldwin, and, if we could place them 

 side by side with these Tasmanians, in 

 equally perfect condition, we would not fear 

 the result of the sale. 



The highest prices for apples are realized 



toward the end of May, the lowest average 

 price being $1.75 to $2.50 per forty-pound 

 box, because the American apples are over 

 and Tasmanians have scarcely begun com- 

 ing in. Speaking of the best time to get 

 the highest price, one Covent Garden sales- 

 man said bluntly, "If you are going to 

 spend your money in cold storage, you 

 should sneak a week where you got it your- 

 self," and no doubt he said a truth. 



Messrs. Garcia, Jacobs & Co., have han- 

 dled as many as 27,000 packages of fruit in 

 one day, so it is evident they do a large 

 trade, especially in apples and oranges. 

 " We paid one firm in France," said Mr. 

 Garcia, " i5,ooo in one week for consign- 

 ments of plums, which will give you some 

 idea of our business." 



Taking all things into consideration, we 

 came away rather encouraged than other- 

 wise, with the prospects before the Cana- 

 dian fruit grower, and see no reason for 

 discouragement, when we consider how 

 favorably our fruit and our packages com- 

 pare with those of the European countries. 



COLD STORAGE IDEAS. 



THE fruit season ust closing has been 

 remarkable in many ways, but in 

 nothing more than in the sudden and enor- 

 mous development of the cold storage busi- 

 ness. Cold storage has been largely prac- 

 ticed hitherto, but never on the scale at- 

 tempted this year. More important yet is 

 the amount of really new knowledge which 

 has come to light through careful observa- 

 tion, intelligent study and systematic ex- 

 periment. It would not be far from the 

 truth to say that the information developed 

 during the current season is greater in ex- 



tent and variety than all we knew about cold 

 storage before. Possibly future experience 

 will contradict some of the discoveries of 

 1902-3, but it will certainly confirm others. 

 One discovery seems to be that low tem- 

 peratures are best for nearly all fruits, in- 

 cluding soft fruits like peaches. Further 

 than that, fruits token out of low tempera- 

 tures seeme to keep quite as well on the 

 venders' stands as those taken out of higher 

 temperatures. Wrapped fruit usually keeps 

 better than unwrapped fruit and always 

 ships better. — Country Gentleman. 



