EXPORT OF TENDER APPLES. 



N the 26th of May Prof. 

 Robertson and Mr. Grindley 

 met the shippers at Grimsby 

 to consider plans for farther 

 experiment in shipping tender fruits. 

 Peaches, tomatoes and grapes have been 

 so unsatisfactory thus far that it was 

 not proposed to receive any of them from 

 shippers on guarantee, but the Govern- 

 ment might buy some of these fruits for 

 purposes of experiment. 



The Dairy Commissioner said the 

 Government would push the export of 

 pears and early apples in particular 

 during the coming season, because 

 there seemed to be good ground for 

 expecting that Canada would be able 

 to take a first place with these fruits in 

 the British market. There would there- 

 fore be a large quantity of these sent 

 forward, providing the crop was of fine 

 quality. There would seem to be a 

 good opening for fine, high colored 

 Astracan, Duchess, Alexander and 

 Gravenstein apples, among the summer 

 and fall apples, if forwarded in small 

 packages in cold storage. 



It was advised that apple growers in 

 each province make specialties of a few 

 of the kinds of apples that succeed and 

 not to have too many varieties. Thus 

 Nova Scotia has made a name for her 

 Gravensteins. 



Among the winter varieties he men- 

 tioned such kinds as the King, Green- 

 ing, Cranberry, Pippin, Golden Russet, 

 and Spy, as varieties which were be- 

 coming known as Ontario apples, and 

 were in demand abroad. 



Prof. Robertson proposed trying some 

 shipments of Ontario winter apples in 

 the Ontario barrel, which is about 28^ 

 inches from croe to croe, 17^2 inch 

 head, and 65 inches around the bilge, 

 and some in the Nova Scotia apple bar- 



rel which has straight staves, and is 

 smaller, but which appears to reach 

 Great Britain with fewer slacks. He 

 thinks the bilge tends to flatten in the 

 Ontario barrels when piled three or four 

 tiers high and thus render the apples loose 

 in the interior. He had looked over 

 many account sales for the purpose of 

 comparison and had found in the Nova 

 sales not more than 10 per cent slacks 

 reported, while in Ontario sales a much 

 larger proportion was not unusual. Of 

 14,000 barrels of Ontario apples for 

 example, that were reported, only 5,000 

 were tight. He thought possibly the 

 explanation was in the difference of the 

 shape of the barrels. Of course it 

 might possibly be due to difference in 

 temperature of storage ; but if so, that 

 would henceforth be remedied, for in 

 response to the resolutions sent in by our 

 Association, the Minister of Agriculture 

 has made provision for better storage of 

 fruit in transatlantic steamers, and 

 agents of the Government would be 

 sent to port towns to insist upon better 

 conditions. 



The Committee discussed with Prof. 

 Robertson the importance of persever- 

 ing with the experimental shipment of 

 grapes. So far, it is true, these have 

 been a failure, but the shipments have 

 been on too small a scale. Besides, 

 they have been of too many varieties. 

 Concords, Wordens and Niagara are 

 worthless for export and large quantities 

 of these varieties were previously forward- 

 ed to the disgust of the English consum- 

 ers, with both their condition and their 

 flavor. 



We would advise shipping only the 

 Roger's grapes, such as 4, 9, 15, 22 

 and 44 ; grapes of the highest qual- 

 ity, of fine appearance and excel- 

 lent carrying qualities. These should 



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