By J. G. THOMPSON, of Edwardsville, Kan.
Often the title of a book or essay gives little information as to what
will follow, and under "The Apple Business" there are a variety of
subjects, on any one of which an essay might be written. In this short
paper I shall speak of our foreign markets. A Kansas apple in London is
a long way from home. But it is there, and not at all disconcerted by
its strange surroundings. What is our apple doing there? Was it imported
as a curiosity? Is it there as evidence of some venture or speculation?
Neither; it has passed the experimental stage and is on a perfectly
legitimate errand. It has gone over for English gold and will send the
same back to its Kansas home. Now comes the interesting part, which
makes business of the transaction. If profitable, it means prosperity;
and a wave of prosperity is what the whole country needs, and when the
wave comes there will be a lot of folks who will want to make the
inundation permanent. Apples, on arriving in London or Liverpool, are
sold at auction on the docks, immediately on arrival, usually in
twenty-barrel lots. Of each lot two barrels are opened, one is poured
out on a table, and one has the head removed so that the faced end may
be seen. This is called a "show," and in the account of sales the
"shows" are charged for at the rate of one shilling each.