Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-02-18
The Apple Export Trade

American Apples the Best In the ""'i"
.--uow Our Growers and Dealers
Co,es TO the British MarEets---'he
Liverpool Auction Rooms and 'htr
Observation-Disclosures Most In Dem"h"'
From the New York Evening POST
The export trade in apples from this
mort begins TO assume considerable pro-
portions early in November, aud the snip
ments to New York-the greatest distrlDu
ting centre for the trade-continue 10 Tue
middle of winter Outgoing freight steam,
ers, and even the big passenger lines, olu
for the apple-carrying trade, which IN re-
cent years has grown enormously. AMER
can and Canadian apples are the best IN
the world, and they are gradually finding
their way into every European market.
Liverpool Is the greatest distributing
centre for our apples abroad, and II stanus
next to New York in the number OF apples
received and sold. London, Glasgow ana
Hull are also large consumers OF American
apples; but at Liverpool most of the auc-
ton rooms receive and dispose OF the eX-
port crop. As mlny as 100000 barrels
have been sold in one week at remunera-
tive prices in Liverpool The auction
system has materially improved the apple
trade in England, and it has helped to re-
duce the cost of placing the fruit on the
British market. The ocean freight on
barrel of apples varies from 40 TO 10 cents,
but the charges in Liverpool for dockage,
town dues, insurance, advertising, sam
pling, and the labor of handling amount
only to about I'd. Add to this 8 per cent
commission on sales, and you have the cost
of delivering and selling apples in England,
The auction rooms are well-arranged
places, and on the days of advertised sales
buyers appear in large numbers. There
are regular sales on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays. The apples are brought di-
rect from the steamer to the auction place,
and are catalogued according to the ship
ping marks and variety. Some of the
shippers are so well known that their goods
are sold upon their reputation without be-
ing examined there is always demand
for such goods. All of the other brands
are sampled in this way; In the centre of
the auction room, where all of the buyers
can see what is going on, two barrels out
OF every 20 are opened, and the contents of
one barrel are empted into baskets. Each
buyer has to take at least 20 barrels; but
If any in the lot he has purchased are
slack" they are replaced by others. A
roughly shaken. These slack" barrels
are sold separately, and where regular
barrel will bring 16 shillings, the slack
barrels from the same lot will be knocked
down at two shillings to four shillings.
This system has operated very powerfully
to make American shippers pack their APP.
pies with great care. So much importance
is attached to the packing that many Ameri-
1a ~ oh A,,r II. 1. Z.
market or direct from the farmers, and
then repack every barrel. This increases
the cost little, but it pays houses with a
good reputation to do it. They employ
expert packers, who do the work rapidly
and scientifically, and when a barrel is fin
ished by them the fruit cannot be shaken
by the toughest storm that ever tumbled a
steamer.
Each auctioneer who has apples to dis
pose of has 40 minutes in which TO sell his
fruit, and If not all sold he must then
stand aside until all of the others have had
their turn and it comes around TO him
again. The auctions frequently go on I'M
til midnight on days when heavy consign-
ments arrive by steamer. A single auc-
tloneer has sold as many as $1,000 barrels
of apples in one day.
Inc BRUSH buyer has very decided pre-
ferences for certain varieties of apples. and
the shippers have TO cater to these notions
Baldwins have in the past been great favor
ties on account Of their high color and at
tractive appearance; but the Ben Davis
apple has replaced the Baldwin to a large
degree lately. More of the Ben Davis va
riety are shipped abroad than any other,
and more orchards are being planted with
these than with Baldwins and greetings
combined. In the West and Southwest,
orchards consisting of hundreds of acres
are planted with nothing but Ben Davis
apples. Nevertheless, the fruit is not by
any means superior to other fine varieties
in fact there is decided preference in this
country for such apples as the Baldwin.
King, Snow, Gravenstein, pound sweets,
and greetings. Highly colored varieties
always meet the best demand for table use
irrespective of other qualities.