THE RURA.lv NEW-YORKER 
Selling New York State Apples. 
FRUIT AT AUCTION.—In New York City prac¬ 
tically all the fruit from California arrives on the Erie 
dock, where samples are exhibited, and in a well 
equipped auction room on the second floor, buyers as¬ 
semble each morning and are supplied with cards, giv¬ 
ing the lot numbers and marks of the fruit offered for 
sale that day. A competent auctioneer cries the sale 
and anywhere from 40 to 100 carloads of fruit are dis¬ 
posed of in from two to three hours. With from 200 to 
500 buyers present, many of them being brokers who 
represent out-of-town people, there is always keen com¬ 
petition for the finest fruit. In the auction room are 
found all races and all kinds of people sitting side by 
side; one sees the buyer of a great chain of retail stores, 
and a peddler who is buying for himself, and perhaps 
10 or 12 of his associates who make their living selling 
fruit from a push cart. Thus we find the fruit growers 
in California sending their fruit through their associa¬ 
tions direct to their own hired men in New York City, 
who attend the sale and wire back the result each 
morning. The cost to the California citrus fruit grower, 
for instance, for having his fruit sold to the retail dis¬ 
tributor in New York City in many cases is not over 
one-third the expense which it costs the New York 
State apple grower or peach grower to have his fruit 
reach the same retail distributor. The foreigner learned 
years ago that the auction system was the only method 
for selling Almeria grapes, two or three million dollars 
worth of which reach New York City each Fall. The 
same is true of the shippers of lemons in Italy and 
Sicily, and of the shippers of fruit in Porto Rico. 
ADVANTAGES OF THE AUCTION.—A repre¬ 
sentative of a large fruit growers’ association in Flori¬ 
da stated a short time ago that during the Winter of 
1912-1913, on account of the excessive rains in Florida, 
the oranges showed a very heavy shrinkage and that it 
nas his opinion that had the same oranges been shipped 
to private receivers and sold in the old-fashioned way, 
as are New York State apples, the growers in Florida 
would not have received one-half the amount of money 
for their fruit that they did by having it sold imme¬ 
diately upon arrival by auction. Fruit, as a rule, 
shows up at its best upon arrival, and when the small 
grower throughout, the country stops to realize that the 
great big fruit concerns after much experimenting, have 
come to the conclusion that it is the best to have their 
fruit sold at auction, he is likely to insist that he be 
given the same opportunity to dispose of his fruits. 
All of the bananas arriving in New York City were 
formerly sold by the importer, with competent sales¬ 
men, at private sales. During April, 1914, the im¬ 
porters of bananas decided to try the auction system, 
and for the past 18 months all of the bananas arriving 
in New York City, from the largest shippers and im¬ 
porters, have been sold at auction, and the prices real¬ 
ized and the method of discharging cargoes have been 
so successful, that they would not return to the old 
method of marketing their bananas. It is reasonable 
that if a $40,000,000 corporation, receiving its own 
bananas, and distributing them through an exper¬ 
ienced salesman the year around, find that it is to their 
advantage to employ the auction company to sell these 
bananas, it certainly should be desirable that a small 
or a big apple grower find out whether his apples 
shall be sold in the big centers at auction. 
IIOW THE AUCTION IS HANDLED.—When ap¬ 
ples arrive at the docks samples are displayed. There 
is no chance for a salesman to favor a pet buyer, when 
two or three hundred men want to buy a carload or a 
part of a carload of fine apples. The auctioneer’s duty 
and his pride is to obtain the best price that any ar¬ 
ticle will bring, whether it be oranges from California, 
bananas from Bluefields, grapes from Spain or apples 
from New York State. In times of shortage there is 
always spirited bidding. To the uninitiated it would 
seem that a riot would certainly take place before the 
sale was over, and the prices obtained during the per¬ 
iod when receipts are light are always the extreme top 
prices that any buyer is willing to pay. During the 
period when receipts are heavy and the market is in 
more or less of a glutted condition the auction company 
sells first, and usually at best prices for the day. The 
reason is that the buyers buy what they want at the 
auction, at prices which perhaps seem low at the time, 
but they have bought what they want and they do not 
want any more. The reason the receivers attempting 
to sell at private sale are at a big disadvantage is that 
the outlets are filled up and the only way that they can 
dispose of the stock which they have on hand is to 
make an attractive price which nearly always is below 
the auction sales. There is no article of fruit .which 
is now sold at auction in the New York City market 
which a private receiver can receive and sell to ad¬ 
vantage at private sale, in competition with the auc¬ 
tion company. For this reason when an auction market 
is opened for any line of fruit private sales in that 
line are discontinued, and it is all sold at auction. 
In Liverpool and London for years apples have been 
sold at auction. Buyers are better satisfied; they all 
have an opportunity to bid on the fruit. There is no 
such thing as selecting for some pet customer a fine 
l:ne of fruit at a bargain, as can be done when the 
goods are shipped to commission men to be sold at 
private sale. In selling apples at auction many con¬ 
sumers will take advantage of the opportunity, if it be 
properly advertised, to go to the auction and buy not 
only their own requirements, but the requirements of 
two or three of their neighbors. It is customary to 
limit the number of packages on which one can bid; 
but there are always odd varieties in the collection, and 
there are the sample barrels which any consumer can 
bid on, even though he only wants apples for his own 
family. The greater the number of buyers present at 
the auction, the better it pleases the auctioneer, the 
auction company, and the grower or shipper of apples 
or other fruit. With proper marketing facilities, pro¬ 
per publicity given to the conditions and the amount of 
fruit in the market, the wholesale price and the price 
which should be charged at retail, this year’s crop of 
apples will return the grower an extremely satisfactory 
figure and the consumers in the large centers of popu¬ 
lation will receive their apples at a lower price 
than they have been furnished the fruit in many years 
in the past. 
Peach Trees and Arsenate of Lead. 
I note in a recent statement by O. D. Schock that 
peach trees have been killed in this State by the appli¬ 
cation of arsenate of lead and lime-sulphur solution for 
the prevention of borers, and special reference was 
given to a large orchard near Orwigsburg, Pa., that 
we are to infer was so killed. Owing to the importance 
of this subject I have taken considerable care to look 
it up and I find that the orchard in question, that of 
Mr. Long, was killed by an experiment in painting 
around the trees a thick puste composed of rye flour, 
molasses and Paris green. The proportion of the Paris 
green was very great, using as much as two pounds to 
50 gallons, while persons who have used it in spraying 
know that one-half pound in 50 gallons was the strong¬ 
est recommended when it was so much in vogue. Ar¬ 
senate of lead and lime-sulphur was not used for borers 
on the trees near Orwigsburg and tin 1 persons working 
in the orchard this week reported that its injury was 
due entirely to the experiment that was conducted by 
the owner himself and at. his own directions without 
consultation with others in this specific case. 
Now as to the statement that trees in this State 
have been injured by arsenate of lead and lime-sulphur 
solution, I must say that this likewise is an error. Mr. 
Schock says he was quoting from others when lie re¬ 
ported it, but tin* persons who originated the report 
were mistaken. The damage to peach trees in this 
State has been by freezing, especially that form of 
Winter freezing which Professor Waite has called frost 
girdle injury. In several orchards where some of the 
trees were mounded and others were left unmounded, 
those that were unmounded or left open around the 
collar froze and show injury and died, while the others 
are not injured. Many orchards where lime-sulphur 
and arsenate of lead were never used show the same 
injury as in others where it was used, and on the other 
hand, many orchards where it has been used »for years, 
as in those of C. P. Reese & Son of Clearfield County, 
no injury whatever is visible. 
The damage by frost collar girdling was regional 
and peculiarly marked in the Cumberland Valley and 
in Lawrence County, Pa. The fact that it was re¬ 
gional was enough to show that it was due to climatic 
conditions rather than to the use of any kind of dope. 
In an orchard in Lawrence County where the dope was 
used some trees not treated were affected the same as 
those that wore treated and two adjoining orchards 
that were never treated at all show exactly the same 
injury. I can give names and addresses of the own¬ 
ers of these orchards and can find scores of instances 
of this kind in proof of the fact that it was Winter 
freezing and not arsenate of lead and liine-sulpliur that 
injured the trees. I am receiving letters from persons 
asking if they have killed their trees because they have 
applied this treatment recently, and I wish to take this 
means of telling them of the mistake in the report that 
trees were so injured by such material and further of 
telling them that they need not be alarmed about any 
disastrous effects of this preparation for keeping out. 
b 01,< ' rs - H. A. SURFACE, 
Pennsylvania. Economic Zoologist. 
Danger in Some Forms of Spraying. 
All growers of peaches should be warned not to com¬ 
bine any kind of arsenical with any form of “soluble 
sulphur,” involving soda or potash, and attempt to use 
it as a spray material for peaches during the growing 
season. As shown in our experiments of 1910 and 
1911, any such combination as this is wholly unusable 
on peaches, and in fact is very dangerous on any kind 
of fruit. We have given numerous warnings on this 
subject before, but still great damage is now being done 
by the attempt to use this combination in protecting the 
exceptional crop of the current year. 
Similar damage may result from applications of any 
kind of Bordeaux and arsenical combination on peaches, 
or from some kind of lead arsenate alone. In the last 
case the danger can generally be avoided by adding 
freshly slaked lime at the rate of about three pounds 
to 50 gallons of spray material. 
The standard spraying schedule for peaches during 
the growing season may well be repeated here as fol¬ 
lows : 
(1) Lead arsenate , at the rate of two pounds of the 
paste , or one pound of the powder . plus three pounds 
of slaked lime, to 50 pultons of water. 
This is intended primarily to control the curculio, 
hence it is usually applied about when the calyces or 
“shucks ’ are being shed. It may well be applied earlier, 
however, if the curculio should begin attacking the 
fruit before this to any important extent. 
(2) Self-boiled lime-sulphur (8-8-50), plus lead ar¬ 
senate at the same rate as above, about a month after 
No. 1. 
This is directed against both the brown rot and cur¬ 
culio. The above lime-sulphur is made by placing 
eight pounds of good unslaked lime and eight pounds 
of powdered sulphur together in a barrel or tub and 
adding enough water to slake the lime properly. The 
899 
mixture is stirred during the slaking and allowed to 
stand until the reddish lime-sulplmr compounds begin 
appearing around the edges, whereupon cool water is 
added to bring the total up to 50 gallons, the arsenate 
is put in, and the material is ready for spraying. 
I nder most conditions these are all the applications 
that are needed for stone fruits. With some of the 
later varieties of peaches or those especially susceptible 
to brown rot, however, a third application may be need¬ 
ed about three or four weeks before the fruit ripens. 
For this application a good lime-sulphur concentrate, 
diluted at the rate of 1 to 100 or so as to obtain a den¬ 
sity of 1.003, without any arsenical, may be used for 
this, or the self-boiled lime-sulphur just described may 
be used. The former is preferable, on account of its 
non-staining qualities, unless the varieties are specially 
susceptible to spray injury. j. i>. stewaut 
State College, Pa. 
Kick at the 35-cent Dollar. 
As I read the article by “Trucker, .Tr.,” it seems to 
me to tell how we try to go after the other 65 cents 
of that dollar. Last season we had some very fine to¬ 
matoes. We took them as they ripened to our town 
and sold them to our grocer at $1 per bushel (all we 
asked), one day he had a supply and could not use all 
we had. I tried the next store; he saw my situation 
and thought to “pull my leg” and offered me so much 
per dozen, or about 60 cents per bushel. I said “not 
much.” He reminded me that the market was full and 
I could not get any more. I reminded him that there 
were lots of poor folks to whom I would give them 
before I would let him hold me up. I drove to the next 
fellow and said: “Can you use these at a dollar?” He 
gave one look at the quality and size and said “Sure 
thing.” This in plain sight of No. 2, who tried the 
hold-up. I meant just what I said about giving them 
away rather than selling at half price. This year 
we had a few surplus strawberries. We went to the 
man who said “Sure thing, ’ on the tomatoes last year 
and asked what he would handle the berries at and told 
him we wanted to play fair. He retailed them at two 
quarts for 25 cents and we got 10 cents per quart. 
Later in the season he had to sell at 10 cents and 
we got nine of them. He said he was satisfied, and 
we surely were. Better kick a little and give away 
a few things rather than to let the middleman have 
lt * l *l- E. L. GRIFFIN. 
Tennessee. 
Here is the Full Dollar. 
sumer’s dollar, for which you may send me during the 
ensuing year at least twenty-five dollars worth of in¬ 
formation. besides entertainment and other extras. We 
were formerly inflicted with a 25-cent dollar, but have 
solved that problem, so that now we get all of the 
dollar for practically everything we raise to sell. Let 
the good work go on; wake up the indifferent producers, 
so that they will enforce their demands for their just 
share of that elusive dollar, and having got it keep 
it for their own benefit instead of 
wild-cat mining scheme. 
on the Pacific coast three 
with some of the prominent 
they told me that no legiti- 
stoek to sell, as they could 
without selling stock. We 
- • • n ^ ^ 
‘investing” in some 
I spent several months 
years ago, and in talking 
mining men of the Coast 
mate miner there had any 
get all necessary capital 
subscribe for several farm papers from all sections 
of the country, but The R. N.-Y. is read first and last; 
first to get a general idea of the contents, and read any 
special articles that I am looking for, and mark those 
that will stand reading the second time, and those 
which will stand closer study, and last to see if there 
is anything of value to me in my work which was 
missed in the first reading. c. e. class 
Michigan. 
Market for Canadian Cheese. 
Consul Taggart of Cornwall, Ont., reports on the 
1st of June that cheese sold in that market at 18% 
cents a pound. This is the record price, due to a short¬ 
age of cheese in Great Britain. The English dealers 
contracted for more cheese than they could supply, and 
they were obliged to offer high prices in order to increase 
production. This is one of the first eases we nave 
heard of where the law of supply and demand has af¬ 
fected the dairy business as it should. Mr. Taggart 
makes the following statement about how the dairy 
farmers in that locality handle their business. 
“The practice among the farmers in this dairy dis¬ 
trict is to form cooperative associations and run their 
own cheese factories. They hire a cheese maker and 
appoint an agent to sell their product on the Cornwall 
board. The profits from tin* cheese sales are distributed 
to the respective farmers in the proportion that they 
furnish milk. The milk is reckoned by weight. At 
present the farmers are getting $1.56 per 100 pounds 
for their milk. A gallon of milk weighs 10.32 pounds, 
so that the farmers now have a market right at their 
door for all their milk at nearly four cents a quart.” 
Government Cabbage and Onion Report. 
1 he Crop Estimate Bureau gives the cabbage and 
onion report as follows: 
Cabbages. Onions. 
States. 
Acreage. 
Per cent. 
Acreage. 
Per cent. 
compared 
planted to compared 
planted t > 
with usual. 
June 15. 
witli usual. 
June 15. 
Per cent. Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Massachusetts . 
• • • • • 
• • • 
95 
100 
New York. 
104 
65 
110 
100 
New Jersey ... 
100 
82 
119 
100 
Pennsylvania . . 
111 
48 
92 
100 
Delaware . 
100 
50 
Virginia .. 
92 
83 
90 
100 
North Carolina., 
120 
88 
102 
99 
South Carolina. , 
76 
79 
95 
90 
Georgia .. 
85 
98 
108 
100 
< >hio .. 
1.14 
72 
97 
98 
Indiana .. 
114 
95 
Michigan .. 
108 
100 
Wisconsin . 
137 
30 
100 
69 
Minnesota ..... 
95 
, , 
105 
100 
Iowa .. 
125 
100 
134 
100 
Kentucky .. 
100 
100 
125 
100 
1’ennessee . 
79 
88 
72 
100 
Alabama .. 
85 
88 
117 
94 
Mississippi . 
89 
99 
120 
100 
(iklakoma . 
100 
100 
100 
Arkansas . 
100 
100 
Colorado . 
113 
56 
137 
100 
Washington .. .. 
100 
100 
115 
100 
< iregon . 
75 
100 
100 
California . 
• • • 
120 
100 
