180 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



could have learned in several years' reading up on the subject. 

 Most important of all, I learned that the English buyers are 

 able to distinguish between an ordinary apple and a well- 

 graded and packed article, and that they show this by their 

 willingness to pay more for the latter sort. We have not, how- 

 ever, been interested solely in the export market. For several 

 years our manager has made a trip to Aroostook County in our 

 own State, and has succeeded in building up a nice little 

 business there. A number of cars were placed there this fall. 



I will now attempt to tell you a little of the actual operation 

 of our association. Early in the fall, at the time crop reports 

 are coming in from various sections of the country, the manager 

 puts in several days visiting the orchards of the members. He 

 notes about how large a crop and what varieties and quality 

 each will harvest. By a careful estimate he is able to tell 

 somewhere near what the crop will be, — how many hundred 

 barrels of Baldwins, Greenings or other varieties he may count 

 on, and how they will run as to grade. At this time, also, he 

 gets a better idea of price by talking with the growers. 



As the apples are harvested, crews are organized to do the 

 packing. These men are hired for the season and paid so much 

 per day and board. The association pays the packers, charging 

 their time to the growers at cost, and they are boarded at the 

 expense of the men whose apples are being handled. A crew 

 usually consists of three men, one of whom is foreman. Each 

 crew is provided with sorting tray, barrel press, baskets, stencils 

 and other things necessary for packing. In addition to the 

 regular stenciling, consisting of variety, grade and association 

 name, each crew has a number of its own to go on the barrels. 

 This is for the purpose of identification in case any fault is 

 found with the barrel. After stenciling what is to be the face 

 end of the barrel it is turned over, and before the pulp-head is 

 put in, one of our barrel labels is placed in face down. 



Our system of loading cars for shipment is as follows: we do 

 not pool our varieties and grades for the season, but rather on 

 each sale. By this I mean that every grower receives the same 

 price for No. 1 Baldwin, No. 2 Greenings, or whatever the grade 

 may be. Of course it happens under this arrangement that one 

 man may receive a different price for apples of a certain grade 



