The Canadian Horticulturi^ 



Floral Edition 



Vol. XXXVIII 



PETEEBORO, OCTOBER, 1915 



No. 10 



Cherry Precooling 



Edwin Smith, in charge of fruit cold storage investigations. Dominion Fruit Division, Grimsby, Ont. 



CHERRY prices in 1914 indicated 

 that something had gone radical- 

 ly wrong with the industry. 

 Some authorities attributed the low 

 prices to the financial strigency in 

 Canada and the consequent poor buy- 

 ing capacity of the people; others 

 placed the cause with the poor market- 

 ing systems in vogue ; and not a small 

 amount of the cause was assigned to 

 over-production. 



With a lighter crop in 1915 prices 

 .were expected to ^o back to old fig- 

 ures. These hopes were not realized as 

 prices for sour cherries were as low or 

 lower in 1915 than they were in 1914. 

 This indicates that the" supply of sour 

 cherries has been catching up with the 

 demand of local markets, and that the 

 increase of 21.9 per cent, in the plant- 

 ings of this fruit between 1901 and 

 1911 is now having its certain and 

 drastic effect. 



To meet these conditions cherry 

 growers must work along two lines, — 

 viz, increase consumption and extend 

 markets. Advertising well done will 

 greatly increase the consumption of 

 all fruits. By properly packing and 

 precooling cherries their markets may 

 be greatly extended. 



By making a demonstration ship- 

 ment of 18,284 pounds of cherries in 

 1914 the Department of Agriculture so 

 induced Ontario shippers to ship to 

 western markets that in 1915 cherry 

 shipments from Grimsby to the west 

 have totalled 168,057 pounds, or ten 

 carloads of cherries, currants, goose- 

 berries and similar fruit. Thus the 

 western marketing of Grimsby sour 

 cherries has been increased over 900 

 per cent, in one year. This increase 

 could not go on at the same rate from 

 year to year, but it is certain that 

 western markets could stand a great 



many more sour cherries if placed there 

 at moderate prices. 



During the past year the writer has 

 investigated the source of supply of 

 sour cherries for the prairie markets 

 and has found that as yet but a very 

 small amount of that fruit has been 

 imported from the United States,— 

 British Columbia and Ontario being 

 practically the sole source of supply. 



Practically none of the sour cherries 

 thus far shipped from Ontario by 

 freight have gone west of Winnipeg. 

 Yet actual tests during 1915 with the 

 Early Richmond, which is not con- 

 sidered so good a shipper as other 

 varieties of sours, showed that this 

 variety when properly precooled stood 

 a ten days freight shipment, and after 

 re-shipping one hundred and thirty- 

 three miles by local express the cher- 

 ries landed in splendid market con- 

 dition. Ontario cherries may be ship- 



An orchard In bearing on the farm of W. B. Oilman, Frederlcton, N.B. 



