The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-27
Peaches-How to Make Them Poflt.
able.

In your May number reference YVES
made to the abundant fruit crop in the
South this season, and some points Civ
en- as to the disposition of same to the
best advantage to the growers. Graft
fed by the interest being taken in this
important subject, we venture few sug-
gestions.
The South has become celebrated for
its fine peaches, and during the present
month large crop of this delicious fruit
will ripen and be sent to the great mar.
kets of the East where, until the pro.
ducts of that section come into compe.
tition, our Southern fruits command
prices which handsomely remunerate the
shippers and producers.
Success in marketing fruit depends
upon its quality, manner of packing and
method Of transportation. fo secure tho
best prices, the fruit should be placed in
the market as early as possible, caro
being taken to pluck only such as has
arrived at the proper stage of maturity,
and to assort it so that fruit of the same
size and grade may be packed together.
What the consumers insist upon is u
good quality of fruit delivered to them,
neatly packed, fresh and unbruised. To,
meet these requirements should be the
aim of all who wish to foster and en-.
courage fruit growing; but the labor and
pains bestowed upon the production,
gathering and preparation of fruit for
shipment, will go for naught if proper
mode of transportation is not used.
The question of transportation is one
of the principal features connected with
this business. In the first place, rapid
transportation is sine qua non for the
peach traffic with distant points, and the
ordinary freight train and steamer sys-
TENS do not offer the expedition required.
1t has been supposed that fruit, to be
moved any distance, in warm weather,
requires refrigeration, but experiment
has demonstrated that the various &C
frigerating processes which have been
invented to preserve peaches in good
condition while in transit by slow
methods of transportation are not sue
cessful.
The peach, succulent, juicy fruit, is
of substance and favor so delicate that
the humidity of some of the refrigerators
causes its rapid decomposition; Others
reduce the temperature too far below the
natural degree of heat to which the fruit
is exposed when delivered, and though
preserving them en- route, peaches so car
ried when brought into the normal at
mosphere suffer such deterioration from
the semi-freezing they undergo that their
rapid decay causes forced sales, entailing
loss upon the shippers, where a profit
would otherwise have been made.
What is needed is quick transporta.
ton in properly ventilated cars, kept en-
route in an equable temperature and not
extreme refrigeration.
The Southern Express Company has
facilities particularly well adapted to the
business, and have reduced to mini
mum the risks of the fruit spelling en-
route, and have made such arrangements
as enable the shippers to get the highest
prices obtainable BY prompt delivery of
their fruit in good condition at destina-
ton.
If growers will keep posted, making
daily shipments by express, in quantities
easily handled, and care be taken to
place good fruit in neat packages, regu-
lating the supply according to the de-
mand, there is no danger of overstocking
the market from the South during the
first month of ripening, when she has the
monopoly, but this immense traffic will
be regularly and indefinitely increased.
Southern Enterprise.