The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1871-06-03

Next to the growing OF frult, uodouDf,
the packing and handling the same are
the most important theme that address
itself to the fruit producers. And first
of importance is the honesty Of the par
ty handling the same. No fneness Of
fruit or skill 10 handling can atone for
want of good intention in making the
package, and in the selection Of fruit to
fill it. Whatever the fruit il should be
so packed as to give the party packinRa
reputation for reliability, so that as the
merchant sees the brand he can at once
say to the proposed purchaser: "Here
is brand that can recommend. This
man l knoir, and he alioays packs bis
fruit honestly; and as this package ap--
pears on the surface you will find it all
the way through"
Secondly. Great care and discrimin-
alton are necessary to have the fruit IN
the proper state Of ripeness, lest it be
condemned on account of its immaturity,
and thus bring loss to its shipper, or
else. perhaps, be over-ripe, and thus by
! decay. bring slae same aiseTzaninkuzsi-7rs
Wlhsfher your fruit IA goi.s 90 lear
or distant market, must also De oonHid-
cred for, if for home, or near market, it
should be much more nearly ripe, than
if designed to GO long distance. And
the fact that fruit while in packages and
in transition ripess faster in warm than
in cold, or even cool weather, is fact
that can pro6tably be borne In mind by
the shipper.
In shipping peaches the basket is so
self evident superior to the box, that 1t
has been a matter of much surprise to
me, that men should even seem to be sat-
isfed with boxes instead-contiDually
urging that change should be made in
our shipping facilities so as to enable us
to use the basket instead of the box.
True, that would neccssitate modiiica-
tion of the interior construction of the
car which carries them; but what of
that? Would it not enable our fruit to
reach the consumer in better condition,
and as a consequence bring the producer
a higher price, and, as a consequence
again, cause larger amount of peaches
TO be sent and thus also increase the
profits of the railroad carrying them?
Peaches that are packed in boxes, as
we'll as all other tree fruit, should be
packed with great care; so that while the
boxes are sufficiently full to prevent the
fruit from moving within them and thus
causing bruises and damage, yet they
should not be so full as to cause the sides
to bulge out, lest by piling many boxes
on top of each other the sides become
pressed back again, and thus the truit
become seriously damaged.
In shipping fine peaches it will often
pay we'll to put them up In p&2ers like
-
am exceedingly reluctant to speak
about pears in the presence of those who
have made that fruit SO Bh more
study than have as jet had the oppor-
tunity of doing, yet it is we'll known that
the pear is one of our very finest fruits
and perhaps the most valuable of all OF
them. With few exceptions, the pear
rfpeus WITH tsse nu0ss -asvvts -fs-as s-.a-~--
from the tree before it is fully matured,
and ripened IN the house; and the prop
er time for pulling is supposed to be
when the stem will part from the bougb,
on the fruit being lifte<R. They
should, of course, be handled 18th great
care, and the very best way to ship them
is to pack them in soft hay, and in boxes
with stiff sides 90 that they my not be
bruised by the side of the box being
bent in.
But there is another element which
enters into the question of handling
pears. The pear is a fruit that is by no
means so common as it should be, and it
is not at all difficult to find men and wo-
men of even middle age, who have sell
dom, or perhaps never. eaten pear and
this very fact shows the importance of
&ho of
cious fruit. Many persons who have,
all their lives, been accustomed to pears,
have regarded them as being peculiar
ly summer fruit; but our modern pear
growers know that the winter varieties,
if properly kept, are commercially the
most valuable; and how thus to keep
them is an important question.
We believe the best way to be to keep
them in dry and cool cellar, but little
above the freezing point, laid on shelves
or benches where there would not be
many to press on each other, and where
they could easily be examined, and the
ripe ones sent to market as they ripen.
The darker and cooler they are kept
(only so they don't freeze) the slower
they will ripeu, and if it is desired to
hasten their ripening they should be
brought to the highland warmth; but
in all cases should only be forwarded at
such time as to reach their destination
in their most eatable condition.
The same rule exactly will apply TO
apples; but they not being Of as much
dollar value, it is not so imperatlveiy
necessary to take such pains with them.
But even they-common as they are
will we'll repay any intelligent labor that
may be spent in their care, more esPe-
cially the winter varieties.
In shipping in boxes observe the rules
laid down in this essay; and in shipping
in barrels, remove the bottom and COM
meuce packing on the head by carefully
LAYING a layer Of the finest ones Of uni
form size, and then carefully gil up the
barrel with apples Of as near the same
size as may be. and of the same variety,
carefully rejecting all such fruit as you
would not like to buy yourself, and all
such as would likely become 50 by the
time they reach their market; and al
ways pack those of uniform size in the
same package, as barrel filed with uni
form medium sized ones will sell better
than barrel of large oneswith few
small ones amongst them And as fruit
men work for character, as well as for
money, in al. your packages, pack as
much of the Golden Rule as good fruit
will permit. aud let your motto be E1-
celsior. and you will be happy, slough
you may never be rich."
JOSH BILLINGS says: "Most people
decline to learn only by their oHa expe-
rience. I guess they are mora than