Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1901-01-24
STATE NEWS.
A "a A IA A m AA1A-AA
Selling Apples.

At present the apple market is all IN
favor of the seller. Any man who has
apples on hand now can turn them IN 0
money at very liberal rates.
1t was not always thus. We can al OF
us remember as far back as last 5 ptem-
| Der
At that time there were wise men IN the
lar d who sad that apples were not worth
| more than fifty or seventy five cents bar
rel Some folks seemed to- tbii that
that price the growers ought,to tu n'sh tire
barrel also, and give chrome with each
purchase.
The wise men said that the apple Gro
was larger than in 1896, and that prIcts
would be lower and many growers, irlgh'-
ened by the recollection Of that bad yea
OF plenty, TO k what they could get for the
fruit and let it go to the first buyer.
| The Vermont experiment station reg'-
tered strenuous protest against this p' !
icy of hssty selling at the time, end,
through the newspapers and by privs e
C rre'pondence, did all in its power to help
he growers to get better prices. A lev
gr' wers held their Al pies, but the majo i'l
sold many of THIN .needlessly soon.
Nevertheless apples have gone up steadily
and strongly in price, and at the presen
time are selling aim ST at the top fpur
known tor this time of year. Many lots
sold before the end of November at 50 80
to $3 barrel; and prices as high as So rs
to 81 barrel in considerable lots have
been reported for the holr ay marke'
Fancy apples have sold as high as $5.a
barrel and even higher. Those who have
appl S still in storage and keeping in good
condition may expect to realize handsome
figures.
10 speaking of the stand which the Yer
mont experiment. station has taken in the
matter # this years apple market, the di-
rector rays that it should be distinctly I'M
derstood hat the station does not pretend
| to be bureau of statistics nor rol bet
OF prices. 1t is not organized with any
| such purpose in view. But in the case OF
this y ar's apple crop it WAS 30 perter "
evident to anyone who could see the stu
alton that prices were abnormally low, that
no statistical inquiry was necessary to pre-
dict the course OF tn market. Prices were
bound to 60 up. The indispu able facts
underlying the situation were p inted out
by the borticulturict OF the station in CIV
cular sent to the papers OF Vermont and
vicinity on October 10, and wi re so con
vincing in themselves that they did not
need any official authority to add to their
cogency. The wonder is that anyone,
after having these facts pointed out, could
still have sold good apples at dollar a
bushel or less Evidently, in some CASES,
the apple buyers were believed IN prefer
ence to disinterested party like the ex,
pertinent station.
The high prices which apples are bring
ing at present, compared with the low
prices which they were bringing at picking
time, has PLAIN moral for the apple
grower. 1t is that apples should be held
as late as they will keep well. And Yer
mont apples are specially good keepers.
January, February and March are the best
months In which to sell and the Juan who
Is compel TO sell from the trees or from
the orchard is always more or less at the
mercy OF buyers who throng the country in
the TALL. In order to hold apples successfully
1t IS necessary to have some sort of storage
house but very simple affair will do the
work if it is rightly planned and intelligent
ly managed. This is another point often
emphasized by the Vermont experiment
station IN its various publicatit ms; and
more or less explicit directions have been
published for making and managing such
storage houses.