210 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Horal Edition. 



A simple apple-grading machine, as used in U.c Iruit warehouse at Waterville, X.S. 



steamship rebates off every barrel 

 sent across. After all these parasites 

 had been satisfied he received what- 

 ever balance there was. Often there 

 was no balance, and he had to send 

 money after his fruit, so that the para- 

 sites referred to might be satisfied. 



Sometimes the market would be so 

 good that even after all the middlemen 

 mentioned had had their fill there 

 would be a substantial margin, but it 

 was curious that, generally speaking, 

 it was the larger growers that re- 

 ceived returns more frequently than 

 their smaller brothers. 



To-day a different order of things 

 exists. I will endeavor to explain as 

 briefly as possible the methods now 

 employed. 



There are now operating in the 

 Annapolis Valley some forty-eight co- 

 operative fruit companies. These com- 

 panies are all incorporated under a 

 special Act of the Local House, passed 

 in the year 1908. The Act is a simple 

 document, consisting of only seven- 

 teen paragraphs, and is worded in sim- 

 ple language that can be understood 

 by any person of ordinary intelligence. 



Forms of memoranda of association 

 are supplied by the Provincial Govern- 

 ment, specially printed to comply with 

 the requirements of the Act, and these 

 are sent to any body of farmers re- 

 ouiring them. Any five farmers can 

 form a company by filling in one of 

 these forms and mailing it to the 

 Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, 

 who will thereupon register their com- 



pany and register a certificate of incor- 

 poration. 



The forty-eight comi^anies now oper- 

 ating have memberships varying from 

 ten to one hundred and twenty. A 

 board of directors, elected from the 

 shareholders and consisting of "not' 

 less than three, nor more than seven," 

 are responsible for the proper con- 

 duct of the companj^'s business. These 

 directors usually employ a manager 

 to conduct the business in detail. This 

 manager keeps the books of the com- 

 pany, engages the help required, and 

 superintends the packing of the apples 

 and distributing of supplies to mem- 

 bers. 



Forty of the local companies have 

 taken stock in a central association, 

 incorporated under a special Act of the 

 Local House passed in the year 1912, 

 and known as The United Fruit Com- 

 panies of Nova Scotia, Ltd. These 

 companies market the whole of their 

 fruit through their central, and pur- 

 chase all their supplies through the 

 same source. 



The system of central packing as 

 practised in Nova Scotia, works in the 

 following manner: 



Before apple picking commences the 

 managers of all local companies ob- 

 tain from their members approximate 

 estimates as to the number of barrels 

 of all varieties they are likely to have. 

 These particulars are tabulated, and 

 the total of each variety is forwarded 

 to the central office for the purpose of 

 information. On these estimates the 



local manager bases his calculations as- 

 to what help will be required and what 

 storage room will be necessary. Oa 

 receiving instructions from the local 

 managers the members pick and haul 

 certain varieties. 



The careful manager keeps closely 

 in touch with all of his members. He 

 is careful to have only such apples 

 hauled during the warm fall montLs 

 as he can expeditiously handle. Ue 

 also makes himself familiar with the 

 keeping qualities of various members' 

 apples. For instance, Tom Brown's 

 Ribstons, grown on heavy soil under 

 the Mountain, will hold up longer than 

 John Smith's, grown on the sandy soil 

 of the Valley, therefore the manager 

 instructs John Smith to haul his in 

 early and instructs Tom Brown to put 

 his Ribstons down the cellar and wait 

 further instructions. 



Each member stencils his name on 

 the side of all barrels sent in, and as 

 the apples are hauled into the ware- 

 house the teamster is given a receipt, 

 of which a duplicate is retained by the 

 warehouse foreman. This receipt gives 

 the number of barrels and the vari- 

 eties. All apples are hauled in tree- 

 run and are picked in the warehouse. 



Entries are made from these dupli- 

 cate receipt books into a large tabu- 

 lated book, called "Barrels inwards 

 and outwards." In this book there 

 are certain pages set apart for each 

 shareholder, and this book is so ar- 

 ranged that on opening them one has 

 at view entries of all apples as brought 

 in on the left hand page, while on the 

 right hand page are entries showing 

 exactly how these apples packed out. 



For instance, on the left hand page 

 one sees that on various dates given 

 Tom Brown hauled in fifty -seven bar- 

 rels of Gravensteins. On the right 

 hand page one sees under the heading 

 Gravensteins that those apples packed 

 out thirty-five ones, thirteen twos, 

 seven threes, there being two barrels 

 shrinkage and culls. 



A daily record of the pack is kept 

 by the packing room foreman, he hav- 

 ing specially ruled sheets for that pur- 

 pose. As a certain quantity of fruit is 

 rolled into the packing room this man 

 carefully records on these sheets the 

 name on the side of the barrel and the 

 variety. When that parcel is packed 

 he records the number of barrels pro- 

 cured in each grade. 



The men employed in grading, fac- 

 ing and heading are experts, and re- 

 ceive instructions from and are under 

 the supervision of inspectors employed 

 by the central association. The aim 

 of the central association is to have an 

 absolutely uniform pack, and when 

 (Continued on page 226.) 



