The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-18
APPLES IN EUROPE.
Heavy Importation of Dried Apples for
 Wine Making.


 Heavy Importation. of Dried Apples for
 Wine Making.
 Since last fall nearly three million hrrels of apples, almost a million more than in the previous year, have been exported from American ports. Most of these have gone to Great Britain and other European countries. where they have found ready market at good prices.
 The demand for the fruit still keeps up and many thousands of barrels are being shipped each week to the other side. Germany has taken to the Amer iean apple this season with especial kindness, and Baldwins and Newtown pippins, which are the favorite varie- ties with the Germans. now are fre- quently found in the small stores and on stands and peddlers' wagons in Der lin and other large cities.
 While these apples do not always have the fine flavor of the fruit as we know it, yet, owing to the great care with which they have been packed they are a credit to the American grower, both in appearance and taste. The American farmer is now studying the best ethods of picking and packing fruit for long distance shipment, and there is every reason to expect that in a short time our apples will be sold in Europe in practically as good condition as in the home markets.
 o,7rfr,,e fa3 ft,,,e :, :. ple's invasion of Europe has been the large scale on the continent in the last few months of the evaporated product for Wine-making purposes. The short- age of the grape crop in France has led to a corresponding scarcity of wine and 1 the peasants and others of the poorer ] classes unable to buy the native wines, have been forced to fall back on the dried apple.
 From what are known in the apple trade as chops, or apples vut up and i dried, the peasants make cheap drink which is said to have satisfying prop critics and to furnish very fair sub stitute for the wine pressed from the grape. A New York exporter who has sampled this beverage says of it:
 Its a sort of apple champagne or beer, and it's not bad either. The na- lives make it by putting the dried ap- pies nto barrel or tub of water, add ing a quantity of yeast and letting the 1 mixture stand for a week or so. By that time it's good and sharp and ready for drinking. It's to the French , man about what cider is to our Arneri- can farmers, and they smack their lips over it just as if it was the real thing. !" 1 Several hundred carloads of dried ap- pies have been sent to France for this use since last fall, and fresh shipments are going forward every week. The fruit costs about two and one-half cents 1 a pound in New York, and the freight to the other side is only one-quarter cent more, so that the Frenehman who wants a cheap substitute for the native ] wine gets it.
 I The Germans also make an inexpen- slve wine from dried apples; but the practice is not so general with them as ! with the French, and the exports oi t American dried apples to Germany are therefore more limited good many < hundreds of tons of dried apple cores and skins have been sold in German markets this year for use as basis fol certain jams and jelIies.
 l The great bulk of all apples shipped abroad, both of fresh fruit and evapo- rated, comes from New York state i Wayne county in the western end sup plies most of the dried apples made ir l this country, there being no fewer thar two thousand evaporators at work there every fall. The same county alsc furnishes large share of the best fresf fruit marketed at home or abroad 1 New York Sun.