268 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



ing able to prove the contrary, has to 

 be content with the amount remitted. 



All firms engaged in the trade are 

 not dishonest. This is a redeeming 

 feature. During an interview with Mr. 

 Lowe, of the firm of Notard & Lowe, 

 of Fooley St., London, he said that his 

 firm handles nearly 85% of the Nova 

 Scotia apples that go to London. He 

 intimated that his firm was anxious to 

 secure more Ontario fruit. This firm 

 does not dispose of their fruit by auc- 

 tion, bvit by private sale. They have 

 been in the fruit business a long lime. 

 They know what fruit is worth, and 

 usually they secure good prices. Garcia 

 & Jacobs, also visited, are extensive 

 importers of Canadian apples. Both 

 of these firms have representatives in 

 Canada. 



In company with Mr. Bigrave, the 

 London manager for the Thomson 

 Steamship Line, the staff representative 

 of The Horticulturist interviewed the 

 secretary of the Surrey Dock Co., who 

 promised the cooperation of his com- 

 pany in the establishing of a market 

 of this nature. Most of the steamers 

 from Canada dock with this company. 

 If the fruit growers wish to make any 

 suggestions in regard to the remodel- 

 ling of a part of their warehouses for 

 storing fruit, he will be pleased to re- 

 ceive such and cooperate with them. 

 I In place of rushing the sale of the 

 fruit, it could be held and for the most 

 part sold privately. In some instan- 

 ces, several steamers may arrive on 

 the same day. This means that all 

 the fruit is placed on the market at 

 one time, and thereby bring low prices. 

 London alone can consume all the fruit 

 Ontario can send, and if a man were 

 placed there, much better returns would 

 be the result. At first, much oppo- 

 sition would be met with, but this 

 could be overcome by sending only a 

 high quality of fruit. 



The next port visited was Bristol. 

 At one time this port was the leading 

 port of entry for Canadian apples, but 

 owing to carelessness on the part of 

 the merchants, the business gradually 

 decreased to Httle or nothing. This 

 state of affairs is being rapidly over- 

 come, and as soon as the new docks at 

 Avonmouth are completed, it will rank 

 among the best apple ports in Great 

 Britain. There is a large territory 

 adjacent to Bristol which must re- 

 ceive its apple supplies through this 

 port. Messrs. H. H. & S. Budgett 

 report that there will be a large demand 

 for Canadian apples in that district 

 this year. They are anxious to buy 

 first -class fruit. Thev are the largest 

 wholesale grocers in that city, and have 

 been established over 100 years. Most 

 of the apples sold in Bristol are handled 

 by wholesale fruit merchants. The 

 practice of auctioning fruit is not as 

 extensivelv carried on there as at 



London and other centres. It may be 

 said, also, that Bristol has a good repu- 

 tation for honest dealing. 



At Liverp(X)l the conditions were 

 I'ound to be different from those in 

 the two places previously visited. The 

 fruit sales are ])ractically controlled by 

 six large firms of brokers There are 

 some smaller firms who are styled 

 fruit brokers, but they invariably turn 

 their consignments over to the larger 

 firms. 



There are two associations there that 

 work together in the buying and sell- 

 ing of fruit; one is the Buyers' Asso- 

 ciation and the other is the Fruit 

 Brokers' Association. There is an auc- 

 tion room situated in the centre of the 

 wholesale district, where only mem- 

 bers of these associations are permit- 

 ted to enter. Our representative was 

 present at a fruit sale as the guest 

 of Mr. Roddie McFee, of James Adam 

 & Son. Rising from the centre of 

 the room to three of the sides are 

 rows of seats for the attendants who 

 wish to bid for the fruit. On the 

 other side is the desk used by the 

 auctioneer. In the centre of the room, 

 in an enclosure, are two elevators for 

 the bringing up of samples of the fruit 

 for sale. Huge baskets are provided 

 in which the entire contents of a barrel 

 or box of fruit may be dumped, should 

 the purchaser make the request. Each 

 of the brokers take turns in conduct- 

 ing the sale of their fruit; and there is 

 a constant changing of those who wish 

 to buy. I^ong practice and a knowl- 

 edge of the audience enables the brok- 

 ers to dispose of an enormous quantity 

 of fruit .each day. Sales sometimes 

 last from early morning until 10 or 12 

 o'clock at night. The fruit must be 

 sold each day, as there is a similar 

 quantity waiting to be disposed of on 

 the day following. 



The opinion was expressed by Mr. 

 James Richardson, of Woodall & Co.. 

 that when Canadian fruit is shipped 

 with fewer brands better prices will be 

 realized. So many markings on the 

 cases make it impossible to remember 

 them all. Fewer brands will make 

 more rapid sales possible. The grad- 

 ing and packing would be more uni- 

 form ; as it is now, each brand has to 

 be disposed of separately; by the end 

 of the day the last lots put up often 

 sell at a sacrifice. 



Our representative called on ^Ic- 

 Symons & Co., 18 Dean St., who have 

 several large grocery stores in Liverpool. 

 They handle a large quantity of choice 

 apples in boxes, but they buy only from 

 the brokers. Some years ago they tried 

 importing their apples direct. The first 

 year they were greatly pleased with 

 the fruit, but during the second and 

 third years it was of inferior quality. 

 They are not anxious to repeat the 

 experiment until Canadian growers es- 



tablish a better reputation for honest 

 packing and good fruit. The Dominion 

 Govennnent should enforce a • more 

 thorough inspection of fruit, even than 

 it does now, and the name of every 

 dishonest packer should be pubhshed 

 abroad as well as at home. 



Fig'Htin^ Insects in Fall 



Although insects in the garden and 

 orchard seem inevitable, yet they can 

 be largely controlled if proper steps 

 are taken and followed in a systematic 

 manner. The thing is to know what 

 to do and when to do it. It is a well- 

 known fact that many of our mtjst 

 serious insect pests pass the winter 

 months in the neighborhood of the 

 crops upon which they feed during the, 

 sunnner. This, then, is the time and 

 place to get at them. They are to be 

 found under old boards, stones, or 

 other trash lying on the ground; many 

 hibernate just under the surface of 

 the soil; fallen leaves and refuse vege- 

 table matter protect others. 



The plow and fire are the best agents 

 of destruction, and the fall is the time 

 to apply them. Plow the fence rows 

 and pieces of unused sod in proximity 

 to the crops. Pile up all the old ref- 

 use matter of any description that is 

 lying around, as also all dead leaves, 

 and burn it. And most important oi 

 all, gather up all remnants of crop^ 

 in the orchard and garden and destroy 

 them by fire or in the compost heap. 

 Never leave potato vines in the field 

 after harvest ; this is the time that the 

 stalk-weevil matures and escapes from 

 its lair in the stem. Destroy the use 

 less stubs of the cabbage and cauli 

 flower plants; many a brood of lice i^ 

 born on them while they lie.' on tht 

 ground. Cut-worms, green cabbagi 

 worms and the pupae of many moths 

 also very often reach maturity or pass 

 the winter months on crop remnants. 



Fire Blight, in Pears. — Pear Blight 

 is caused by a bacterial disease for which 

 no satisfactory remedy has been found. 

 It has been discovered that infection 

 takes place through buds and flowers 

 principally. The best remedy known, 

 although not very satisfactory, is to cut 

 off the affected branch about a foot 

 below the diseased part as soon as 

 noticed. As the disease may be carried 

 from one tree to another on the knife, 

 it is a good plan to disinfect the knife 

 after each branch has been cut. Pears 

 usually blight most when they are mak- 

 ing strong, succulent growth, and it is 

 best not to encourage too much growth 

 for this reason. Bordeaux mixture has 

 no effect on this disease. ^ — W. T. Ma- 

 coun, Ottawa. 



Fruit for market should be of good 

 size, fair appearance and good quality. 



