34 PRICES IN ENGLAND. 



BOSTON SHIPMENTS WEI-IK DISTRIBUTED AS FOLLOWS: 



To Liverpool, 256,624 To West Hartlepool, 841 



" Glasgow, 19,969 " Christiana, 375 



" London, 29,813 " Bergen, 130 



" Hull, 1,944 " Gottenburg, 10 



" Antwerp, 100 



The average weekly shipments from October 1, to December 30, were 

 15,280 barrels from Boston and 13,290 barrels from New York; largest 

 weekly shipments, 28,286 barrels and 21,498 barrels respectively. Sixty 

 per cent of the shipments to Liverpool were carried by the Warren line 

 of steamers, the rest being equally divided between the Leylaiid and 

 Cunard lines. The Allan line carried 83 per cent of the Glasgow ship- 

 ments, the rest going by the Anchor line. Of the shipments to London 

 32 per cent went via Liverpool, the Furness line carrying the rest. 



Extreme prices were paid for extra Newtown Pippins and other early 

 fall Apples. The English Apple crop was short and the demand active 

 for our fruit. As the magnitude of our 1884 crop became apparent, it 

 was hurried over to Liverpool, causing something of a glut in October. 

 Lower prices were realized in December because of the large supply 

 received too late for the holiday trade. Some of the shipments in 

 February and March were badly frosted and landed in poor condition. 



The following statement, compiled from THE HOMESTEAD'S special 

 reports of the Boston, New York and Liverpool Apple markets, shows 

 the average price paid, per barrel for "extra fall" Apples at each 

 market in September and for "No. 1 prime Baldwins" during the 

 ensiling months : 



At At New Av. of At Liv- Excess. 



Boston. York. both. erpool. 



September, $1.46 $1.65 $1.50 $4.50 $3.00 



October, 1.46 1.45 1.45 3.32 1.87 



November, 1.90 1.0:5 1.91 5.81 3.90 



December, 1.56 1.63 1.54 3.41 1.87 



January, 1.82 1.72 1.77 4.01 2.24 



February, 2.21 2.81 2.51 :;.T5 1.24 



March, 2,21 2.15 2.18 2.5S .60 



April, 2.74 .">.<;-! :!.is 4.2(5 1.08 



Average, 1.92 2.12 2.00 3.95 1.95 



Most of the Apples exported were bought up by speculators for $1 to 

 $1.25 in the country, and cost 15 to 35c. per barrel to get on shipboard. 

 Freights from Boston to Liverpool have been two to three shillings per 

 barrel, averaging about two shillings six pence, or 60c. The brokers 

 who handle the sale of the goods charge 5 per cent commission on the 

 gross amount of the sales, or 20c. per barrel on a shipment that sells for 

 an average of $4 per barrel. Probably $1.60 per barrel will represent 

 the average cost to speculators of Apples on shipboard during the past 

 season. Add 60c. for freight and 20c. for commission, and the middle- 

 man has $2.40 to deduct from the price received in Liverpool. It 

 appears from our comparative statement above that the average price 

 has been $3.95 per barrel in Liverpool, which leaves a profit to the 

 middleman of $1.55 per barrel more than the producer received. To 

 be on the safe side, suppose we call this margin only $1 per barrel and 

 allow $87,785 for shipments that resulted in loss, for shrinkage, etc., 

 then on the total exports of 787,785 barrels it will be seen that the 

 middlemen have made an even $700,000. 



Now if farmers had followed the simple directions for placing Apples 

 on the Liverpool market, which THE HOMESTEAD gave in August 

 last, they could have saved the larger portion of this amount. We 



