Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-03-02
Markets for Fruit.


1t was thought, ten or fifteen years
ago. that land owners had set out as
many apple trees as the markets of the
country would warrant and even then.
while many of the orchards were young,
an abundant sea on gave such sur
plus that large quantit es rotted and
went to waste. Since then a foreign
market has taken in over !. 400, 900 bar
rels of fresh apples, and the export of
eyaporated fruit is about 1000, 900
pounds, or 5000 tons. Canning is con-
fined mostly to other fruits. Although
the value of second-rate apples for
feeding domestic animals was WELL
known to some farmers many years ago,
they are still permitted to waste in
large q antilles by tn Sc who do not
feed their animals enough succulent
food in late autumn and thr ugh win
ter. The market for good fresh fruit
after the regular demand in tn coun-
try. and in all the different countries of
Europe, shall have been fully supplied,
may still leave large remainder. and
here the evaporation will come in and
nsume vast quantities. Nearly one
halt the year W passes with nsum-
ers in this c untry when they cannot
obtain fresh apples in market, or when
farmers a destitute of them; and to
fill this long vacancy, evaporated fruit
is destined to furnish vast sup
plies, to say nothing of the extern
sive demand which may be created in
Europe by judieious introduction. One
of the most fatal drawbacks, h -wever,
to successful foreign market. is send
ing poor or defective fruit with the at
tempt to pass it of as good in quality.
A few uns rupulous shippers are
enough to faint the whole market with
their bad reputation, and if it were
p ssible, there is no reas why as great
penalty sh uld not be imposed upon
such frauds as for passing counterfeit
m ney, flr the harm extends i'll great
er or less degree to the VIII ls trade, |
which is not the case with bad money.
We trust that the energy OF the large
class of rable dealers ana fruit
growers will find full remedy for this
wrong, and when the greatly increased
markets which the future is destined to
open shall be accessible to us. t geth-
er with the home use which may be
made for large surplus crops, in the
manufacture of jelly, vinegar, mo-
lasses, and fer the food of do
mestic animals. there will be little
dancer of having too many apples
The lesson which these facts suggest
will. therefore. be. for those who have |
the land for good orchards and who can
procure the trees, to plant without hest |
tation. They must, howe err, bear in !
mind that merely planting is only the
beginning of orchard work. Intelligent
cultivation and proper management in
successive years will be bso!utely es.
sential and no more should be set out
than can receive the best care.
Before passing entirely from this sub,
ject. a few words may be useful as to
the best way to secure and use surplus
windfalls or wormy fruit, for feeding
cows, sheep, pigs and horses. in late
autumn and in winter, q moderate
quantity of which, in connection with
dry fodder. contributes to the health
and thrift of these animals. They should
not be thrown in heaps on the cellar bot
tom, where decaying ones will become
mixed through the whole, and the later
supplies be more rotten than sound.
There are always two conditions with
such apples, those which will decay
soon, and those which will keep weeks
or months, and these are mixed together.
The eye will not distinguish the long
keepers at first. but time only will show,
if they are placed where they can be
seen. The best arrangement, therefore,
is to provide a series of narrow shelves,
extending all around the walls, and all
through the interior. with passages wide
enough to deposit and take out the
fruit These shelves may be of rough
boards, with space enough between one
and the next above TO see and select.
The shelves around the walls should
not be more than foot and half wide,
and they may have foot space between
them Those in the interior may be
two and a half feet wide, as the attend
ant can pass on both sides. The apples
are placed shallow on these shelves. and
the attendant passes along daily with
his basket and takes those which show
signs of decay. After little practice
he does it rapidly. This will save them
from spo ling by rotting in quantities.
By this management we have kept APP
Piles into June, which were not supposed
to be long keepers; the whole secret
being to remove the decaying ones rs
fast as they appeared, and to retain
those which were the best keepers, and
which could not be selected by the eye
till the trial was made. Country Gem
He1n1n