916 THE FRUIT INDUSTRY ix XEW YORK STATE 



imported into Liverpool, London, and Glasgow about 1,788,236 

 barrels and 1,096,054 boxes of American and Canadian apples, 

 nearly all of which were sold at public auction. In the United 

 States, public sales began at about the time of the Civil War and 

 have had a wonderful and sound growth ever since. Today, 85 

 per cent of the Florida oranges and grapefruit ; 75 per cent of the 

 pineapples, oranges, and grapefruit from Porto Rico, Cuba, and 

 Isle of Pines; 98 per cent of the California oranges, lemons, 

 cherries, peaches, apricots, pears, plums, and prunes; and 100 per 

 cent of the Sicilian lemons, Almeria grapes from Spain, and the 

 cherries, pears, and prunes from the Pacific Xorthwest, which are 

 consumed in the large cities of the eastern part of the United 

 States are now sold at public sale. In addition, the bananas 

 that are consumed in J^ew York and Baltimore are disposed of in 

 this way, and also in some cities, tomatoes, canteloupes, peaches, 

 watermelons, and potatoes. Last year, one hundred and fifty 

 thousand dollars worth of chestnuts from France, S-pain, and 

 Italy added to the vast volume of business going through the auc- 

 tion companies of Xew York. 



SERVICE RENDERED BY THE AUCTION HOUSES 



The auction house, upon receipt of a manifest of the fruit to be 

 offered for sale, advertises the sale, giving the day and hour, and 

 prints a catalogue of the offering. In the catalogue the fruit is 

 divided into convenient sized lots, according to sizes and grades 

 of the fruit, and each grower's fruit is sold separately. The 

 offering is " lined up " on the railroad pier according to the 

 line numbers on the catalogue, in order that the fruit may be 

 readily inspected by the buyer and a notation made by him on 

 his catalogue as to the condition and quality, and so that the 

 fruit can be speedily delivered after the sale. The auction 

 house opens a certain number of packages of each offering for 

 the buyer's inspection ; sells the fruit at public auction to the 

 buyer making the highest bid ; makes a record of the sale ; super- 

 intends the delivery of the fruit sold to the buyer ; discounts and 

 guarantees the amount of the sale; supplies the seller with a 

 price catalogue of the prices realized on the sale; and, within 

 twenty-four hours of the sale, sends the seller an account-sales, 

 together with a check for the proceeds of the sale. 



