The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1900-03-17
OUR APPLES IN EUROPE.
.REAT AUCTIONS ARE HELD IN llV-
ERPOoL EVERY WEEK..

American Apples at Home and Abroad
Orchards of the West and Northwest
Prevent OId-fashioned Apple Famfnes-
F.norr Demands the Safety Valve.
Since the west and northwest en-
tered extensively into apple. growing,
the so o-called "off years. in this crop
no longer affect the markets as they
did Is or ~ years ago. One season
of great scarcity then, with extremely
nigh prices, would often be followed
by a year of superaoundance, when
the market would be glutted with
apples, which were difficult to dispose
OF at any price The thousands OF
acres of apple orchards in the great
wet prevent an oid-fashioned famine
in apples: "a the improved methods
of exporting the fruit and the nu-
merous factories which make cheap
iellies and preserves tend to distribute
the abundant crops so we'll that un-
profitable prices 90 not rule IN the
markets in good seasons.
These jelly factories in good sea-
sons buy apples on the trees, but IN
years like the present make their
apple syrup je ly from the waste ct
the canning factories, writes 8. +. W.
in the Scientific American. There are
l3J factor es in the country engaged
ca ming this fruit and making
cheap ielies and syrups. In the ag-
gregate they have al annual capacity
o over 200, 900, 900 jars Of jelly alone.
The ellies made FROM the apple waste
are almost as gool and wholesome as
those manufactured from the whole
apples. The cores and peelings and
small, inferior apples are ground up
and the juice extracted from then
The juice or syrup becomes the foun.
dation of the cheap lell.es, and not
chemical compounds, as some sup
pose. -.
The west has become such an i'm
portant factor in the apple problem
that it is estimated that these COM
paratively new orchards could supply
all the apparent needs Of the markets
if ha the trees in the country failed
to produce anything. At first the
sudden flood OF this fruit from Kan
sas, Missouri, Nebraska, Michigan
and other western states completely
demoralized the eastern markets,
reaching a climax in 1895, when ap-
| pies in New England were offered on
the trees at Is cents a barrel and
hand-picked Baldwins delivered on
the cars at 40 cents a barrel. The
orchards in the west were 80, SO and
| 100 acres, and in order to prevent
growers from going into bankruptcy
great food OF the apples was rushed
| etso-S-urane -.2he exports ef our ap-
pies have consequently
enormous proportions. and without
this demand the crop would prove
financial failure every season.
Liverpool is by far the greatest
distributing point for American apples
and as high as 100, 900 barrels our
apples have been sold there ie
week, and at remunerat We f 8.
Lon lon, Glasgow aud Hull also re-
ceive immense cargoes of American
apples aud absorb on an average
from 20, 900 to 10000 barrels week
during the season. :,
The apples are sold in Liverpool by
the auction system. A large room Is
provided for the buyers and the auc'
tioneer. In the centre OF this room
there is portable platform OF freight
elevator where samples OF the lots to-
be disposed of are exhibited: All
auctioaeer who has a line to dispose
of has AZ minutes at his disposal, and
if his goods are not all so d III tnat
time be must temporarily stand aside
and make room for another salesman.
Monday, Wednesday aud Friday are
the auction days, and g single auc-
tioneer may dispose OF 10, 900 to
Is, 600 barrels in day.
The apples are catalogued, and
those brands which have reputation
for honesty and good packing fire.
quently sell without sampling. One
barrel fro every lot of 20 is opened
on the portable platform and the con-
tents dumped into baskets, and an
her barrel is simply opened on the
face end. From an examination OF
these two samples the buyer judges
the lot of 90 and makes his purchase
accordingly. Only tight barrels are
delivered to him; slack barrels, where
the apples rattle, are rejected. These
latter sell separately, and usually
from so to Is cents barrel less.
When a purchasers bid is accepted
he can take his 20 barrels or as many
more OF the same brand as he desires
at the same price. The apples are
delivered to the purchaser direct nom
the steamers dock, which saves the
cost Of double carriage.
Ocean rates for apples, of course,
vary, but they usually run from 40 to
cents per barrel. The charges IN
Liverpool for dockaGe, insurance, adj
vertising, sampling, town dues and
for labor of handling amount to about
seveupence, English money, and the
au tioneer's commission for selling is
5 per cent. The cost OF getting the
apples to the steamer on this side
varies likewise according to the dis
tance they have to be shipped.
Picking apples in the east costs
from u to 20 cents per barrel, accord
ing to the skill OF the pic ;ers and the
amount Of apples to handle. Special
pickers have in recent years entered
the fell to contract for whole Or