1884.] TRANSACTIONS. 11 



vital interest to Orchardists. You have listened to satiety con- 

 cerning the importance of fostering a home market, during the 

 political contest just closed; and, with Apples and Pears at their 

 present price, may weigh the validity of the argument. Happily 

 the foreign market is yet open to you ; though how soon it may 

 be closed, if we continue to maintain our own system of exclu- 

 sion, cannot be precisely anticipated. For your more definite 

 information, 1 extract from '■''The Garden'''' the subjoined par- 

 ticulars respecting the appearance of the Apple crop in Europe 

 and America, as it was furnished by the largest dealers in 

 Covent Garden : — 



" The Ai'PLE Croi" : — United Kingdom, — Crop much below the 

 average. France. — An average yield of early kinds, especially in the 

 Gironde ; late and better descriptions somewhat short. Germany, — 

 Short crop generally. Belgium. — Short crop. Holland, — Very hght 

 crop. Spain and Portugal, — Crop short, description common. 

 America, — There are indications that the crop will not equal in bulk 

 that of 1880, yet the yield in some of the best producing localities is 

 likely to be very abundant, and far supei-ior in quality to the past two 

 seasons. After mature consideration of the various reports there is 

 little doubt that the crop of Europe is considerably under that of many 

 years : that it will be from America that the supply for the United 

 Kingdom will be derived. The prospect of shipments being advan 

 tageously made to England was never more promising, particularly for 

 the better and later description of Apples." 



Note : The same London Garden, in an issue subsequent to the 

 last Annual Rejiort of your Secretary, thus described the inferiority of 

 the English Apple crop, for the previous year : — 



'•Xmas-Tide: 1883: England: 



" Apples, a very heavy crop, have been small and inferior in qual- 

 ity. There are not sufficient first-class English Apples now in the 

 market to keep down the prices of American and Canadian goods. 

 The importation of Apples from New York is now comparatively 

 small. Boston, however, sends a fair portion, but Nova Scotia, during 

 the last few years, has sent more than both New York and Boston 

 put together. And the variety is also greater, the principal sorts 

 being Baldwin, Gieening, Russet, King Tompkins, Ribston, Nonpareil, 

 Spitzenberg, and a few Blenheims. The great advantage, in a com- 

 mercial point of view, is the way in which foreign fruit is sorted. 

 Although the standard of quality does not come up to that of home 

 grown produce, the prices realized lately have been 20 s. to 25 s. per 



