i 



The Canadian Horticulturi^ 



Vol. XXX 



SEPTEMBER, 1907 



No. 9 



TKe DritisK MarKet for Canadian Fruit 



Suggestions from a BritisK Trader's Standpoint 



GOODS well bought arc half 

 suld," is a well-known maxim. 

 We might say also that apples 

 well picked are half packed. There 

 cannot possibly be too much care 

 given to the handUng of the fruit in 

 every stage, from the time it leaves 

 the tree until the time it is well packed 

 in the barrel. We have heard of fruit 

 in some orchards lying about under 

 the trees for days, and even weeks, before 

 being collected and packed; such treat- 

 ment renders it often unfit to stand 

 shipping, and if it is exported, it mainly 

 arrives bruised and dirty. There is a 

 great deal in getting it to the store or 

 packing house as soon as possible after 

 it leaves the tree. 



In grading, I would suggest that 

 rather than make, say, a poor barrel of 

 No. 2's, the grade should be kept well up, 

 and a good barrel packed that will fetch 

 good money, letting all "throw outs" 

 go to the No. 3 barrel. There is every- 

 thing in carefully sorting the fruit. 

 If I were a grower, I should be inclined 

 to make four grades of my fruit. All 

 the "extra" and "fancy" I should 

 most carefully select and pack in 

 boxes (this box trade pavs better than 

 any) ; then go on in the selection of my 

 No. I's, 2's, and 3's. This might take a 

 little more time, but it would well 

 repay exporters who wish to make the 

 best prices for their fruit, and who send 

 it over on consignment terms, to fetch 

 ,its full market value. Fruit well select- 

 ed and reliable in packing will always 

 "etch its price on this market. 



As to "storing," it is obvious that we 

 Cannot offer suggestions from this side. 



The great aim, of course, from a market 



^int of view is to store apples only for 

 ^uch a length of time as shall not detract 

 too much from their appearance and 



Dundness, and to use every means to 

 prevent them from shrivelling; especi- 

 ally is this important in the case of 



tussets for the late trade. 



GOOD PACKING IR IMPOKT.ANT 



Now for the key to successful export 

 ^rade, namely, qood packing. To ensure 



good "tight" barrel without bruising 

 the fruit, is the work of an expert. No 



grower should attempt to ship until he 

 has satisfied himself as to his packers, 

 as this is very often the dividing line 

 between profit and loss and the rock 

 upon which so many have foundered. 



Experience leads me to say that, 

 generally speaking, the Nova Scotian 

 packers excel those of Ontario. It is 

 with a desire to be one of the friends of 

 the Ontario grower, that I thus tell him 

 of what is, in some cases, one of his faults, 



Instrvictive and Practical 



The Canadian Horticulturist 

 is well edited and extremely in- 

 structive. Through its articles, 

 orchardists of long experience as 

 well as beginners learn more about 

 the fruit industry and the best 

 means of managing trees and secur- 

 ing crops than they do from the 

 best books on fruit culture. The 

 advice given in this magazine on 

 the selection of varieties, according 

 to latitude and elevation, is worth 

 thousands of dollars to the planter 

 who, too often, is deceived by tree 

 pedlars. — Auguste Dupuis, Direc- 

 tor Quebec Fruit Experiment Sta- 

 tions. 



and as only our best friends can perform 

 so delicate an operation, I herewith 

 make the assertion. 



BOX TRADE WORTH GETTING AFTER 



If the Canadian growers generally 

 would study this special packing, and 

 put all their "fancy" fruit into forty- 

 pound boxes, they would find a fancy 

 price awaiting them here, with this' 

 proviso, that extra and fancy fruit only 

 should be packed in this way. The 

 writer could find a splendid market for 

 any growers who are disposed to go into 

 this trade thoroughly, and invites cor- 

 respondence on the matter, through the 

 editor of The Canadian Horticul- 

 turist. 



transportation 



Now a few words as to shipping. We 

 heard very few complaints last season, 



207 



on the whole, of shipments arriving in 

 bad condition. This is largely due to 

 the care now exercised by the shipping 

 companies. I must here say a word for 

 the Thomson Line ; their general busi- 

 ness characteristics of promptness, 

 politeness and push (on this- side at any 

 rate) make it a pleasure to do business 

 with them, and their discharging and 

 storage facilities at the Surrey Com- 

 mercial Deck place them in the forefront 

 as carriers of fruit and perishable 

 products. I hold no btief for any ship- 

 ping company but merely speak as I find, 

 and of my experience of their capabilities 

 in successfully handling this traffic. 



Ever increasing care must, however, 

 be given to protection from frost, at all 

 points, especially during the latter part 

 of the season, both during the time of 

 storing and of shipping, and by both 

 rail and shipping companies. I saw one 

 of the finest parcels of Russets that came 

 to this market last season, spoilt com- 

 pletely by frost ; it was, of course, a very 

 exceptional winter, but what a pity, 

 after so successfully storing such valu- 

 able fruit all those months, to have them 

 spoilt for want of a little more care on 

 the part of someone ! 



Why do not the various associations 

 in Ontario combine together in groups, 

 and ship their produce to their own 

 appointed representative over here, to 

 dispose of on their account, as, and 

 when, the markets are good, holding 

 them in storage when the markets are 

 fully stocked and the prices for the time 

 being low? 



The Surrey Commercial Dock Com- 

 pany would by arrangement allocate one 

 of their spacious warehouses specially 

 •suited for storage purposes, and also keep 

 it at a proper temperature for the storing 

 of the fruit in its best possible condition. 



Of course this storage facility could 

 only be obtained by the combined action 

 of the associations, which alone could 

 guarantee a sufficient number of barrels 

 as would pay the deck company in giving 

 such facihties. But given this guar- 

 antee, they are quite prepared to study 

 the interests of the trade in every way, 

 and I have the assurance on this point 



