Part IL] FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 179 



supplemented about harvest time by reports of crop movement 

 and prices on various markets, together with cold-storage re- 

 ports and all other information available. We receive the 

 market report issued daily by the United States Office of 

 Markets and also the Canadian Telegraphic Report. These we 

 find of great value. With all of this information at hand we are 

 able to form a good idea of crop conditions, and know some- 

 thing what to expect for prices. 



Since it has always been customary for our people to export a 

 large percentage of the crop, we have been particularly interested 

 in every bit of information obtainable as to conditions in Eng- 

 land. Most everything we knew prior to 1913 came to us 

 through the representative of our English receivers. In the fall 

 of 1913, however, it was decided that it would be worth a great 

 deal if our manager could see for himself just how apples were 

 handled on the foreign market. Accordingly, plans were made 

 for the trip. As I was at that time manager of the association, 

 it was my pleasure to make the trip. About 600 barrels of 

 Oxford Bear apples were on the same steamer with me. Before 

 leaving home I had seen these apples harvested, packed and 

 loaded into the cars, so I knew just what they were like. I was 

 now to follow them through the whole process of marketing. 

 I was met in Liverpool by the representative of our English 

 house who had so often visited me at home, and whose guest I 

 was during my stay in England. Under the guidance of this 

 man I was shown the ins and outs of the Liverpool, Manchester 

 and London markets. On the docks in Liverpool I met the 

 same apples I had seen so carefully packed. They were being 

 inspected by the buyers there on the docks, and I had a chance 

 to note in just what shape they arrived. Some few of them I 

 noted were slack on account of faulty coopering. This put me 

 on my guard, and since then more care than ever has been given 

 to coopering, the result being a very small percentage of slacks. 

 For several hours at a time on two or three occasions I sat in 

 the auction room where apples were selling. I also had a 

 chance to meet many of the fruit brokers and large buyers, as 

 well as a number of retailers. From personal observation and 

 conversations with these men I was able to gain more of an in- 

 sight as to market demands, preferences, and so forth, than I 



