The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-04-06
FRUIT EXPORTS.
Some. Figures Which Show TO What:
Enormous Proportions They
Are Growing,

:: Every once; in awhile we. catch q
glimpse of the fruit trade which shows.
us that it is of great Importance: There
has always been tendency in certain
quarters to regard fruit growing as an.
ornamental side issue in farming
something not worth considering in
comparison with real business. Yet
in: the year ending June 30, 1904, the
exports of fruit from the United
States amounted to more than two
thirds as much as the exports Of cora
king Corn, whose propaganda hc:
been systematically preached in E.
rope for years; in fact, the exports &
fruit were worth almost two-thirds {,
much as the exports of wheat, 1cx2
farm products.
A still more striking feature of the
statistics is that the exports of fruit
are steadily increasing. The account
for three years stands as follows:
Year ending Jan. 30, 1902. $s,415,1o2
Year ending Jan. 80, 1sO3......:..... H,75S,11s
Year ending Jan. 80, 1904. 234S,2ss
This does not include nuts and GER
tain other items frequently consid-
cred as belonging in the fruit trade
IN comparison with these figures
the statistics of wheat exports are
very suggestive, for they show an
even more striking and steady de-
crease. For the same periods, they
| are:
Year ending JAM 3d. 1902. .s112, s75 &C
Year ending Jan. 80, 1903. S7,795 1ul
Year ending Jan. 20, 1904............ $780,:
Hort1culturists generally will taEe.
| greatest interest in the figures SHOW;
ing the exports of apples Our for
| eign apple trade has been a pet wi h
the fruit growers, and great thing:
have been hoped from it. AS a mat
ter. of fact, this trade shows a SUBJ
stantial though very irregular growth
| For the years ending June 80, 1902,
| 1903 and 1904, the quantities and values
were as follows:
Year. > Barrels. Value
oz::::................... 459,n9 $l,62S, SYe
1903. .....................1,659 ,129 1881 sol
1904. .262 :5,446, 47s
1t will be seen by q very simple
reckoning that the figures for 1904
represent the crop of. 1908, and so on
through the list. explains the Country
4 Gentleman. Last years crop has not
yet been heard from in the government
reports, but it is known that exports
were very much below what they were
the year previous.
The United Kingdom is still our
best customer by far, taking more
than four-fifths of the great. shipments
of 10000. Germany is a very poor
second, - taking 1873, $3.50 barrels. France
is "a poor third, with Belgium fourth
and Canada fifth. 1t is rather surpris-
ing to find that the United State ;.
shipped 1859, barrels of ; apples 81 8
| Canada In 10000, while Canada ws4s
sending thousands of barrels across
the water. Cuba and Mexico are COM
paratively good customers, but they
do not take nearly so many apples as
they ought to have. Probably a great
trade to the tropical sand ;sub-tropicaJ
countries can never bei built up, owing
to the abundance OF fruits native in
that region; vet one cannot help feel
ing that oranges and bananas can
never take the place Of apples. A.
friend who lives in the West Indies,
! in q very low latitude. writes home
that he gets so hungry for good Bald
wins or Greetings, that he would
trade all his clothes for a good bar
ro1fa,11