The Harvesting and MarKeting of Export Apples 



p. J. Carey, Dominion Fruit Inspector, Toronto 



THE bulk of the apple crop of On- 

 tario, except that in the hands of 

 the cooperative associations, is 

 now in the hands of the dealers or mid- 

 dlemen. As far as I have seen, the 

 prices paid, if not in some cases, perhaps, 

 as high as the demand should warrant, 

 are such as should leave to the growers 

 handsome profits for their labors. 



In the principal apple-growing dis- 

 tricts there are three methods of selling 

 in practice: First, "lump" selling, a 

 fixed price for all fruit on the trees; 

 second, a fixed price per barrel for all 

 fruit on trees; and third, a fixed 

 price per barrel for selected fruit. The 

 latter, although by far the most com- 

 mendable, is practised the least. 



The "lump" method is practised the 

 most, which shows the strong desire on 

 the part of the ordinary apple dealer to 

 take a little shot at the game of chance 

 and try to do the other fellow. The 

 other fellow, or grower, too often gets 

 the worst of it from the fact that his eye 

 is not as practised as the dealers. The 

 desire to gamble is not at all confined to 

 the dealers. Many of the growers de- 

 light in a little gamble and, if they are 

 bitten, say nothing about it. 



The other method of selling at a price 

 per barrel for all the product of the tree, 

 including windfalls in many cases, is the 

 safer one for the farmer, inasmuch as 

 there is no gamble in the deal, and every- 

 thing goes in the barrel. It is wonder- 

 ful how carefully everything in the 

 shape of fruit is taken from the trees and 

 ground. I know, however, of a few ex- 

 ceptions to the rule, where men of public 

 spirit will not allow rubbish to leave 

 their orchards to be placed on the 

 market. 



These two methods of selling have little 

 to recommend them. In the first place, 

 they are not based on business prin- 

 ciples, and the business man who de- 

 sires to handle fruit, if he waits until he 

 can see what he is buying, is left waiting 

 and consequently is out of business. In 

 the second place, by these methods, 

 thousands of barrels of culls find their 

 way into the fruit houses to be exported 

 later, thousands of barrels of "stuff" 

 that should never be placed on the 

 market, except perhaps as a by-product. 

 Shipping this kind of rubbish is sure to 

 injure the trade, but there is a little con- 

 solation in the fact that the trade does 

 not suffer now as nmch as in the days 

 when the culls were sandwiched be- 

 tween two good "faces." 



A WARNING To GROWERS AND DEALERS 



Passing to another phase of the situa- 

 tion, I may say that, while the grower 

 seems to be safe, having sold for a good 



price, while the dealer feels that he is 

 safe, from the fact that already he can 

 turn over his "pack" at a handsome 

 profit, and while from every indication 

 this prom'ises to be a good year for the 

 apple man; yet, I would warn all con- 

 cerned there is a possible chance for many 

 a slip between now and March, 1908. 



ESSENTIALS TO SUCCESS 



There are three great factors that 

 figure in the success or failure of the 

 season's operations. The first is the 



barrels »of our fruit go forward, either 

 picked nearly a month too soon or, on 

 the other hand, nearly a month too late. 

 I have examined barrels of apples of the 

 standard varieties, when one would be 

 puzzled indeed to name the variety, un- 

 less guided by the name on the package. 

 Such early picked apples have neither 

 color nor flavor. The dealer who sells 

 the Englishman a barrel of such fruit, 

 is giving him a barrel of Canadian 

 "Spys" or "Baldwins" in name only, 



Picking Peaches in the Niagara District — Hole the Well-Constructed Laaaeis 



picking and packing; second, the weath- 

 er conditions ; and third, the transporta- 

 tion facilities. The first essential is a 

 neat, strong package and the securing 

 of good, experienced men to do the 

 work. In my capacity of a Dominion 

 Fruit Inspector, I have seen so many 

 "packs" that I think I am able to say: 

 ' ' Show me the packages and the work- 

 manship of a 'pack' and I will tell you 

 whether the operator will make money 

 in the apple business or not." 



The next essential is to pick the fruit 

 in season. I wish to draw special at- 

 tention to the fact that thousands of 



and is not taking the best way to 

 secure him as a steady customer. 



A large percentage of our fruit remains 

 on the trees too late in the season. It is 

 true such fruit has color and flavor, but 

 at the expense of being more or less 

 damaged by frost or wind storms. A 

 large percentage of our apples were 

 frosted on the trees last season, which 

 had a great deal to do with its poor 

 keeping quaUties at the close of season. 



INFLUENCE OF WE.ATHER CONDITIONS 



The heating of fruit packed in barrels 

 in warm weather, has more to do with 

 the bad condition in which our fruit 



