49 



trade direct with London iii various commodities, and we frequently secured the 

 poop-deck in sailing vessels to fill up with our apples. Sometimes they would cany 

 500 or 600 barrels and sometimes less, when they were carried in this way. 

 For the benefit of those gentlemen present who do not know much about 

 shipping I may say that the poop-deck is merely the quarter deck 

 above the main deck, where we obtained much cooler storage than was iwssible to 

 get in the hold among other cargo. These shipments proved very satisfactory. At 

 that time we sold " Blenheim Pippins " and " Eibston Pippins " as high as 30s. to 

 35s. per barrel for the lots, and while these prices have fallen in some oases, even now 

 we get them sometimes when we send consignments by steamships. I have a tabu- 

 lated statement here, Mr. President, of the prices which we have obtained for our 

 Nova Scotia apples in London during the last ten years. I know figures are rather 

 wcai-isome, but as they will enable you to make a comparison with the prices received 

 by shippers from other parts of the Doininion, in the discussion which follows I shall 

 be glad to know whether we are in advance or behind other sections of the Dominion 

 in this respect. I have mentioned here certain leading varieties of Kova Scotia 

 apples — that is, Gravenstein, Eibston, Blenheims, Baldwins, Kings, Golden Euesets 

 and N'onpareil. I have taken the average price from sales of large quantities, but I have 

 not considered fruit in bad condition or delivered under unfavourable circumstances 

 as I do not think that would be a fair criterion. I have taken the last average figures, 

 not the highest figures by any means,' because we frequently find odd barrels that 

 run up into the " forties." A shipment of Gravensteins in the year 1880 realized, at 

 that time, from 16s. to 16s. 6d. This price continued about the same until the year 

 1884, when they rose to from lYs. to 20s. on the average sales, and last year for No. 1 

 Gravensteins we got 22s. for the bulk of No. I's. During the present season, I am sorry 

 to say, Mr. President, we have been unable to supply the London market with 

 Gravensteins, owing to their early maturity and the want of shipping facilities at 

 the moment they were ready. This was a thing we were warned against in 1887-8, 

 and as a consequence most of our Gravensteins went to New York. We were wai'ned 

 by our London friends that we were in danger of losing our customers in not con- 

 tinuing to supply the demand created in years gone by. The Londoners ask for Nova 

 Scotia Gravensteins, and we were told if we could not supply them they would have 

 to go elsewhere to try to get them. As a result, they immediately succeeded in find- 

 ing them in Germany in plentiful quantities, and they secured enough to supply the 

 demand which we failed to meet, owing to our fruit maturing too early and being 

 too soft to ship at the time we had expected. This may apply to other leading vari- 

 eties at some other time, and I therefore mention this as a warning that when we 

 have leading varieties, for which we have created a demand, that we must not let go 

 the main chance by simply for that season grasping at it elsewhere. Our experience 

 has been the experience of others with different commodities in the past. Take the 

 case of the onion. A few years ago a syndicate attempted to corner the market in 

 onions, and they woke up one fine morning to find Egyptian onions on the mai-ket, 

 and the result is, we have had Egyptian onions on the market ever since. That may 

 be the case with Gravensteins in London, hereafter. 



Mr. BuoKE— Are these German apples as good as your Gravensteins ? 



Mr. SrARR. — I do not think they are, but they supplied the market this year at 

 fair prices. I believe, also, that a quantity of Gravensteins from Denmark was sent 

 to London, as well as from Germany. Now I come to the prices which we obtained 

 for Eibston Pippins. During the past ten seasons they have run somewhat as fol- 

 lows : In 1880, from ITs. to 208.; in 1884, from 23s. to 30s. ; in 1887, from 208. to 37s. ; 

 and during the present season they run frotn 23s. to 30s. Our Blenheims in 1880 

 brought from 17s. to 23. ; in 1884, from 25s. to 29s. ; in 1886, from 16s. to 24s. ; in 

 1887, from 208. to 278.; and this season from 20s. to 28s. Our Baldwins in 1880 

 brought from ISs. to 18s.; in 1882-3, from 22s. to 24s.; the year folloTving from 22s. 

 to 25s. ; in 1886, from 14s. to 21s. In 1887-8 the Baldwins were very poor ; they were 

 scabby, and sold as low as from 88. for No. 2 and very few went above 12s. The present 

 season they are realizing from 13s. to 25s. Our Kings in 1881, fetched from 23s'. 



4 



