68 



and the consumer must surely ensue, with a more perfect 

 knowledge of just what that other fellow has to contend 

 with. 



I have been in the export apple business for 25 years, 

 and believe that much of the misunderstanding and preju- 

 dice that now exists, would be overcome if grower or ship- 

 per knew just what the man who receives his fruit. 3,000 

 miles away, is up against; if the grower only knew the 

 reasons why his fruit was not in as sound and fine looking 

 shape as when he shipped it. He finds it hard to believe re- 

 ports that reach him from Liverpool that his fruit has de- 

 teriorated at least 25 per cent, in condition, but I assure you, 

 gentlemen, that the elements one has to contend with, at 

 sea, are more uncerain and hazardous than those encoun- 

 tered when shipping by rail. 



It was a Massachusetts fruit grower, of Salisbury, who 

 furnished the first apples to be exported from America, to 

 Great Britian. The shipment consisting of 5 barrels, wsl^ 

 forwarded by a Mr. Buchanan in a sailing vessel, the ' ' Ocean 

 Monarch," in 1847, which made the trip to Glasgow in the 

 remarkably fast time of fourteen days. Last Saturday, at 

 the annual meeting of the Fruit & Produce Exchange. I had 

 the pleasure of meeting Mr. George Buchanan, a brother of 

 the gentleman who made the first shipment, and he informed 

 me that the apples arrived in good condition and sold for 

 $5.00 per barrel. 



It was not until about 1870 that commercial shipments 

 were made, and the business did not assume large prportions 

 until 1880, — from which time our statistics date. In that 

 year 1,300,000 barrels were exported from the United States 

 and Canada to the English markets. The liulk of the apples 

 shipped from here at that "time, were handled b.y the com- 

 mission merchants either by purchase, or on consignment. 

 Growers did not make a specialty of packing their fruit for 

 export, and nearly all shipments had to be inspected and 

 branded at the railroad terminal or steamship wharf. In a 

 great many consignments there were slack barrels and the 



