German Advice. 411 
being vrown near the consumer, they ought to ecom- 
mand a superior price; and yet it is a fact that be- 
cause of the better packing and sorting of the Cali- 
fornia product, it drives the home fruit from = the 
markets. The better packing of this Californian 
product has arisen from the fact that transportation 
rates ave such an important item in the marketing of 
the fruits, and time of transit is so long, that only 
the highest-priced and soundest fruit can bring the 
consignor any profit after the expenses and risks are 
deducted. It is always found that the farther fruit 
has to be shipped, the greater is the care exercised 
in the grading and packing. 
Whilst we, with the best of reasons, are con- 
stantly deploring the shittless attention given to the 
packing of our fruit, the fruit-growers of Europe are 
impressed with the excellent condition in which our 
apples often arrive in their markets. The following 
extract is from a German paper of recent date :* 
“Although during the last few years repeated at- 
tention has been called, by those in authority, to the 
development of the German fruit industry as a_pos- 
sible means of enlarging the net proceeds of domestic 
agriculture, it is mecessary again and again to recur 
to the subject, and especially at this time to ¢all at- 
tention to the fact that our fruit industry is confronted 
hy a erisis which, if it does not meet with immediate 
and strong resistanee, threatens to completely destroy 
it, and thus to greatly damage our national welfare. 
* Deutsche Landwirtschaftliche Presse, xxiv., No. 7, Jan. 27, 1897. 
