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Eegarding the profits and drawbacks in connection with the export of winter 

 apples, allow me, as briefly as possible, to give you a few facts gained by fifteen 

 years' practical experience in British and foreign markets. 



" The most profitable apples for export are : King's, Cranberry Pippins, Bald- 

 win's, Gravensteins, Bishop's Pippins, Ei bston Pippins, and Golden Eussets. Occasion- 

 ally Spies and Greenings make money abroad, but, as a rule, they sell for more 

 money in Canada. 



AH apples should be picked and culled with the greatest care. We are 

 advancing in the department yearly, but still there is room for improvement. The 

 more care in this respect the better name will our fine Canadian apples gain, and 

 they are second to none, and the more profit will be obtainable for either local or 

 foreign buyers. Cease to purchase fruit that has been carelessly culled before being 

 packed. Many a buyer. has ordered his men away from an orchard where the grower 

 has carelessly picked his apples, and wisely so, for no packer can make first-class 

 shipping stock with such fruit. 



Only 'No 1 standard sized barrels should ever be used. They ought to be 

 kept perfectly clean and when packed should be head-lined and distinctly branded. 

 A fancy package will command more money than one with which less care has been 

 taken. It is better to mark our apples ISTo. 1 and No. 2 ; I mean, use a different 

 stencil. No. 1 should be strictly choice apples ; ISTo. 2 ought to be good, clean, sound 

 selected apples ; the balance should be dried, evaporated or made into cider, for all 

 of which a market can be found. 



All shipping apples must be carefully faced, well shaken and lightly packed. 

 A barrel that shows the least slackness on this side the Atlantic will make no money 

 for the shipper on the other side, where they often make and sell as slack, what 

 here would be considered tight and in firm order, ifow, we have our fruit properly 

 gathered and packed, the question is, where had we better sell. Our advice would be 

 to sell to some one on this side of the water. When we require foreign fruit we are 

 compelled to buy. So, if Europe wants our grains and fruit we would say come across, 

 examine, buy, and we will ship and draw for amount, allowing no claims whatever. 

 Take your risks, as we are compelled to do when we purchase oranges, lemons, 

 grapes, &c. 



When consigning, our apples as a rule are shipped to Liverpool, London, Glas- 

 gow and Bristol. They generally go into a dealer's hands, who hands the bill of 

 lading to an auctioneer, by whom they are offered at first sale after being landed. 

 The auction system is all right in itself, but the charges are far too high. Sis- 

 pence per barrel to the consignee, sixpence per barrel to the auctioneers, to which 

 they add cartage, dock and labour dues, postage, bill stamps, cables, &c., &c., which 

 together make another sixpence. So it costs generally Is. 6d. to sell a barrel after 

 it is landed, to which we would have to add 38. 6d. to 48. 6d. per barrel freight. Asarule, 

 we have to pay more freight from Montreal than our neighbours have to do from New 

 York, Boston or Philadelphia. Why is this so ? Some of our worthy steamship friends 

 will no doubt explain, but we hope soon to see a 2s. 6d. freight from Montreal to 

 Liverpool. 



Another drawback in Britain is the law, which allows a buyer to refuse any 

 number of barrels (out of any purchase in the sale room), which he calls slack. 

 Almost any barrel can be made to give somewhat after the way they ai'e piled on 

 their docks, two and three high, on their end; ; also, after a rainy night or heavy 

 fog any barrel showing the slightest moisture is called damp and wet, and sells from 

 2s. to 10s. per barrel less than dry tight barrels. The Canadians who have made 

 money by consigning apples can be easily counted ; those who have lost money 

 by the same practice, their name is legion. 



Our railway companies have done considerable for us by supplying better 

 cars, in greater quantity, and granting through bills of lading ; but still greater 

 care could be taken in the loading and unloading. They should not be unloaded until 

 the day the steamship company is ready to load, for frequently we have seen 

 thousands of barrels on our wharves, some inside and often outside of the sheds, to be 



