14 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



January, 1915 



British Columbia Apple Week 



R. M. Winslow, Provincial Horticulturist and Scc'y B.C. Fruit Growers' Association 



Victoria, B. C. 



DURING the first half of November the 

 Horticultural Branch of the British 

 Columbia Department of Agriculture 

 successfully inaugurated special apple 

 selling campaigns for the purpose of pro- 

 moting the consumption of British Colum- 

 bia apples. These special campaigns were 

 advertised as "British Columbia Apple 

 Weeks," and were held in Calgary, Van- 

 couver, and Victoria. The British Colum- 

 bia Fruit Growers' Association assisted by 

 paying part of the cost in each case. 



Earlier in the year the association had 

 distributed 100,000 booklets on British Col- 

 umbia Fruit, which brought a very con- 

 siderable response, but were not consider- 

 ed sufficiently specific to meet the particular 

 difficulties of the apple market as it stood 

 in the month of October. Our apple crop 

 was about twenty per cent, greater than in 

 1913, which had previously held the record. 

 The Prairie markets were very largely on 

 a consignment basis with prices ruling low 

 and American apples being offered at very 

 low prices in the coast cities. The Federal 

 advertising campaign had directed public 

 attention to apples with remarkable suc- 

 cess, but the advantage of the campaign 

 was largely accruing to barrelled apples 

 from eastern Canada. It became obvious, 

 too. in late October, that our apples would 

 not keep as well as usual, and must go 

 into immediate consumption. 



Under the circumstances, it was a pro- 

 blem to focus the demand on the apples of 

 British Columbia and to secure the niove- 

 ment of our crop at reasonably firm prices. 

 As against the imported fruit there was the 

 opportunity to appeal for support for the 

 Canadian product, and in British Colum- 

 bia, support for the product of our own 

 provinces. This appeal was widely made 

 and heartily responded to. The British 

 Columbia Apple Weeks have left a deep 

 impression on the consuming public and 

 on the trade even outside the radius of the 

 cities which participated. 



The essential feature of the "Apple 

 Week" idea, as we carried it out, is con- 

 centrated publicity of such volume as to 

 greatly stimulate apple sales and consump- 

 tion, not only for the particular week in ques- 

 ion, but for more permanent results as well. 



The Okanagan United Growers' through 

 their manager, Mr. R. Robertson, cooperat- 

 ed especially in this work, though all Bri- 

 tish Columbia fruit received a benefit, about 

 fifty per cent, of the apples sold during 

 the Apple Weeks coming from other 

 sources. 



In Calgary the Markets Commissioner of 

 the Horticultural Branch, Mr. J. Forsyth 

 Smith, was in charge. The successful or- 

 ganization of the campaign, both in general 

 and in detoil, is to be credited to his efforts. 

 The wholesalers and retailers readily co- 

 operated in the plan and especially con- 

 tributed to extensive newspaper advertis- 

 ing, to which the association gave twenty- 

 five per cent. Apple lithographs were used 

 in the street car advertising to excellent 

 effect. The newspapers contributed liber- 

 ally of their news and editorial space. 



Some Calgary wholesalers estimated their 

 sales at double, others treble normal con- 

 sumption, and sales have been on a high 

 level ever since. Other cities in the Prai- 

 ries have requested similar campaigns next 

 year. 



The Vancouver Apple Week, November 

 2nd to 7th, had not only the support of the 

 Department, but was largely supported by 

 the Vancouver Industrial Bureau, all of the 



wholesalers, the great majority of the re- 

 tailers and Vancouver City Market. News- 

 paper advertising, news items and editorials 

 were here a considerable feature, but even 

 more than in Calgary the retailers' window- 

 dressing competition put the British Col- 

 umbia apples themselves in all their beauty 

 before the eyes of all consumers. The Apple 

 Show staged in the commodious Exhibition 

 Hall of the Vancouver Industrial Bureau 

 attracted tens of thousands of visitors. In 

 the Vancouver City Market 4,500 boxes of 

 British Columbia apples were staged and 

 sold to customers who came to see them. 

 The retailers, thanks to a special effort on 

 the part of the wholesalers, were more 

 generally interested than at Calgary or 

 Victoria. 



Though Vancouver had been using Amer- 

 ican fruit in the proportion of two to one of 

 British Columbia apples, the Apple Week 

 campaign very largely reversed this. Dur- 

 ing Apple Week itself, British Columbia 

 apples were sold ten to one of American. 



Im Victoria the campaign was limited to 

 a three-day period, but proved equally suc- 

 cessful and permanent in its results. News- 

 paper advertising was the largest feature, 

 but special features on the programme of 

 a series of patriotic concerts proved most 

 valuable publicity. A retailers' window- 

 dressing competition aroused great inter- 

 est, and an apple parade was an unusual 

 but striking feature. During the week 

 sales of British Columbia apples were as 

 four to one of American, completely re- 

 versing the previous situation. 



Apple Week advertising has certainly 

 brought home to the average consumer the 

 genuine superiority of the British Columbia 

 apple, and quite aside from any question of 

 patriotic motives, there is a much more 

 pronounced desire for British Columbia 

 fruit than has ever been previously experi- 

 enced. The hearty cooperation of whole- 

 salers, retailers and public bodies to stim- 

 ulate the sale and consumption of British 

 Columbia apples has been a surprise and a 

 most gratifying one to the growers. Such 

 Apple Weeks can be carried out in future 

 years with much less effort for organization 

 and at much less expense, though the ex- 

 pense was comparatively light, and certain- 

 ly with even greater lesults. 



The editor of the Calgary "Herald" voic- 

 ed the opinion of the general public of all 

 three cities, when he wrote the following ; 

 "The British Columbia Apple Week in Cal- 

 gary was a wonderful success. Never before 

 in the history of this city havi; the people 

 bought apples in such generous quantity, 

 and never before have they been given such 

 splendid opportunity to make their pur- 

 chases. In the results of the exhibition 

 there are at least two lessons not likely soon 

 to be forgotten. So far as the people are 

 concerned, thousands have been converted 

 to the apple eating habit — a habit they will 

 not willingly abandon. As for the apple 

 growers, they have learned a wonderful 

 lesson in the value of judicious advertising. 

 The Apple Week campaign was wisely plan- 

 ned. Every agency necessary for its suc- 

 cess was made use of and there was no 

 skimping at any point. Calgary to-day eats 

 British Columbia apples, and eats them in 

 immense quantities. So long as the grow- 

 ers continue to ship in the fruit and the 

 price is right, Calgary will be a British 

 Columbia apple centre." 



The Apple Week idea has come to stay. 

 The plan secures greatly increased con- 

 sumption of fruit ; standard prices ; mode- 

 rate margins for retailer and jobber ; every 

 cent for the grower that the market condi- 

 tions will stand., and above all, better 

 health to all consumers and the satisi- 

 faction that comes from eating British 

 Columbia apples. 



Fruit Packing Schools 



p. W. Hadgetti, Director •< Horticnltiire, 

 Ttrrato, Ont. 



I would like to call attention to the apple 

 box-packing schools for which instructors 

 are supplied by the Fruit Branch. Last 

 year we ventured to predict that the season 

 of 1914 would see one of the largest apple 

 crops that America had ever produced, and 

 that, therefore, only the best fruit well 

 packed would bring remunerative returns. 

 This forecast has, in the main, been borne 

 out, and, of course, greatly accentuated by 

 war conditions. For the coming season, 

 even if the war is over, it will in all pro- 

 bability again be a case of only well-packed 

 No. 1 fruit bringing a reasonable profit. 



A packing school is not a demonstration 

 of how to pack, but an opportunity for those 

 wishing it, to learn how to pack by actually 

 doing the work themselves under a compe- 



Method of Crating Three Single Layer Fruit Ceie*. Note the Iron Clip* on the Side 



