Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-09-15
Che Fruit Trade-HOW to- Pack Fruit
for Market.

lCorrssy ,ndenco Of the Richmond Whig.l
Nfw YORK, Sept. IL, lS6Q-l write for the
benefit Of the owners OF the orchards in your
State. The course pursued here is in handling
the pippins. and indeed almost all kinds OF ap
ples, before the apple is fully ripe, Early in
October they are picked from the tree by hard;
baskets aud ropes are used by one person in
the Tree, who gathers the fruit aud places It IN
the basket, and another on the ground, by
means Of the rope which is passed over limb
near where the picker is in the tree, lets down
the fruit as fast as the baskets are filled, and
the apples in the baskets are carried to barn
and carefully spread on the floor, and alter
-weatiug, which usually requires ten days, aud
drying off, the apples are carefully culed over
and every defective one rejected. They are
then wiped clean with a cloth and barrelled.-
This process must be done properly, or the
trut is very seriously damaged, The ordinary
-four barrel won't suit. The kind of barrel
used here j. q smooth ash, birch, or beech bar
rel, with deep groove for the head TO ht IN,
and will hold Just about two'and halt bushels,
ull. The lower middle hoop Is tackled and
clnched inside, and then the top Of the barre
Is turned to the floor and each app.e placed
with the stem end to the heading, and the
barrel is filled heaping full and the head press,
"a down into the groves, and each END hned
carefully and the head turned up and marked
20 that when opened each pippin with the
stem up is first seen. During the falls OF 1867
and lSGS | sold a large quantity OF your Abe
marie plppins, and don't think single barrel
could be shipped till they were repacked. The
demand for really No. l selected pippins Is
very large. and as they are most needed IN
England for the Christmas holidays, the
prices are best during November and De-
cember. The NewtoWn plppln Is . harder
apple, less Juicy and not so well tavored as your
pppius keeps very well, from the tact that
they are picked before they are as ripe as the
Albemarle pippinS usually are when they arc
gathered, The varieties with you are some
times mixed in the same barrels, yellow and
yreen pippins being frequently in the same
barrel. This prcjudices the sale. The great,
est care should be observed in packing the
same kinds and sizes 10 the same barrels
Small lots of and 10 barrels will not bring as
much as round lots of 100 or 500 barrels.
The fall being dry, and the fruit rpening
well, if the directions given above be at
tended to. the shippers to this point may
calculate upon getting from Sc to SIC per bar
rel but fruit out OF order or carelesSly handled,
the packers here, OF course, viii only buy at
such prices as will justify them for the cost OF
new barrels and the labor OF repacklng.
Parties interested should make all the neceS-
Sary arrangements tor securing theT trult, Tor
soon after the lst October apples on the south
ern exposures must be picked or they will be
TOO ripe to keep. When the trees are on the
northern hiilsdes little later will DO; but 1t
will not do to let them get fully ripe on either
exposure. la consignments by steamers the
deck is the better place for storing them
Failing in this, the apples should be put on
the tor OF all the freight in the hold of the
steamer so as to come out first when landed,
and thus avoid the probability OF being heated
on the passage for in damp weather many OF
the shipments have been seriously damaged by
the heat and moisture on the passage.
DAN'L II. LONDON,
Com. Merchant, No. 63 Broadway, y. !.
T. Sin dried apples, peaches, pears, cher
lles and ounces the barrels should be all uni
torm and regular. Any mixtures arc prc1ud''
cal ia the sales.