168 REPORT OF THE SCOTTISH COMMISSION 



For many years it bought most of the fruit grown by the small 

 holders. Messrs Oscar Brown & Company, Limited, a wholesale 

 and produce firm, whose headquarters are in Edmonton, Alberta, 

 and whose business to the extent of one half is controlled by the 

 Coldstream ranch, have now opened a branch on the estate and will 

 purchase, pack, and ship all the available fruit. 



Packing Fruit 



In eastern Canada the greater portion of fruit for export is 

 shipped in barrels, the minimum size of which is regulated by the 

 Inspection and Sale Act, which also stipulates that the barrels must 

 be so marked as to indicate the name and address of the packer, 

 and the variety and the grade of fruit. There may also be added 

 the words " Canadian Apples," and a number designating the 

 workman who is responsible for the actual packing, and anything 

 else not inconsistent with or more conspicuous than the marking 

 required by the Act. The Nova Scotia barrel, as a rule, is smaller 

 than the Ontario barrel. The fruit of course is graded and packed 

 —sometimes in the orchard and sometimes in packing houses — 

 in terms of the Inspection and Sale Act. It is, however, apparent 

 that the finest classes of fruit cannot be barrelled. In marked 

 contrast to this method of packing we have the method adopted 

 in British Columbia. There the fruit is all packed in boxes. The 

 packing is done in packing-houses, to which the apples are brought 

 from the orchards. The packers are expert at their work. They 

 have in front of them boxes for the different grades of apples. The 

 packer lifts each apple separately, decides what grade it belongs 

 to, and then places it carefully in the proper box. The smaller 

 apples are kept towards the end of the box and the larger apples 

 towards the centre, and they are so deftly arranged that to the eye 

 of the ordinary observer there does not appear to be any difference 

 in the size. Sometimes they are packed according to colour, that 

 is, the highly coloured apples are put into one box and the less 

 highly coloured apples into another. When the box is full it is 

 placed in a frame, which is provided for the purpose with a lever 

 by which the ends of the lid are pressed down close to the edge of 

 the box. While in this position the nails are driven in, without 

 in any way unduly pressing or injuring the fruit. These boxes are 

 easily handled and fruit in them travels much better than in barrels. 



Preserving Fruit 



Fruit of inferior grade though not unwholesome, which is un- 

 suitable for the market, is utilised for canning and preserving 

 purposes. We had an opportunity of seeing canning carried on at the 

 Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, by the students. It is done 

 to some extent in the homes of the farmers, but the bulk of the trade 

 is in the hands of the canning and preserving factories. It is not yet, 

 However, an extensive trade, but it will grow as the population in- 

 creases. We scarcely think it has begun in British Columbia at all. 

 The aim of the fruit-grower there is to develop a trade in fresh fruit. 



