The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-02-19


T crop be marketed the most econom
D cally to the producer, shipper aud cor
D sumner, for all are equally interested
: whatever increases this cost lessen
> the price 10 the producer. He. to oh
! tain the most money for his fruit
should buy his barrels. pack his ow
, apples, and so be in readiness to tax
, advantage Of the market and guard hi
, crop from storms and freezing. Man
: crop has been badly damaged or los
: entirely by waiting for some one els
to do what he could do better and a
less expense. Where is the farme
} that does not really believe b
could barrel his apples in les
time, at less cost 10 himself, than Il
pile them up or draw them in his wag
on to market and there spend the da,
waiting his turn to have them packeC
by some one else who has ten times a
much as be can do7 The only explana
ton / know OF is, that il must be
satisfaction to see the barrel well filled
up and shaken down-scriptural meas
ure and more. The buyers of grain
flour, pork. beef, &c, are protected by
a system Of inspection; an inspector is
appointed whose business 10 Is to grade
and brand the different qualities and
thus the buyer knows what he is buy,
ing. But who can tell the unknown
qualities OF barrel OF apples? What
may not lie hid beneath the first lay.
ers, as fair as Eve ever beheld in the
Garden of Eden? The middle of the
barrel is such convenient place 10
hide the trash, few can resist the
temptation to do il; and, as a conse-
quence, all confidence is destroyed,
prices rule much lower, and altogether
very unsatisfactory state OF things.
/ will just mention few Of the
methods of marketing fruit most OF
you are familiar with, and also how il
should be done. The needless man
picks part Of his fruit, shakes of the
balance, puts them in his wagon with
out sorting, drives by the cider mill
where he ought 10 stop-spends the
day sorting and selling, winds up with
peddling, and goes home declaring it
does not pay 10 raise fruit. Then we
have the very saving man, who puts
all his fruit into barrels, not particular
what they have been used for before,
blow ends down, chinks in all the
small ones, rounds up the barrel well,
applies the press until the cider runs,
in fact IL will never stop running from
that barrel, n perpetual cider mill. -
Then we have the man who must be
near-sighted. He has his barrels made
to order. the heads are good deal
smaller; in fact they are trimmed down
all around aud 80 straight they look
like soldiers on dress parade. Now
comes our model man, who takes pride
in his orchard; you will not find any
grindstone apples among his trees, but
plouty Of baldwins, greetings, bell
heurs and spitzenburgs, and such fruit.
Why they fairly blush as you look at
them. Then lie carefully picks them,
places some Of the finest stem erd
down in the barrel, fills II up all the
way with the finest Of fruit an
apple with even one worm. hole in tnds
place in the middle OF the barrel
presses them just enough 10 prevent
their shaking, then writes his name on
the barrel-he Is not ashamed to own
It-and marks XXX on the head
What does that mean? The lrst exam
inc; the second, pay extra; Inc last,
/ exactly. Now We pay hlR hall dol
lar a barrel extra-they are worth that
and more too-.snd say TO him, "do
not mention this TO your ncigLooT;'
but he will tell the fret one he sees; hs
will telegraph it oil over the town in
an hour, he will be 80 tickled he got
more than anyone else; he could not
help himself, ana who blames hlml
When the time comes, II 1t ever does,
that the producers of fruit takes as
much care in selecting the fruit they
pack as they DO with that they take TO
the fair TO exhibit, and prize the repu-
tation OF their brand Of apples OF m1 r.
Importance than the blue ribbon, then
will this careless aud dishonest pack
ing be done away with. The cry comes
up from the North aud the South, from
The East and the West, give us good
fruit, give us honest packing, give US a
barrel. Those that are wise will heed
the cry aud furnish what is demanded.
There is a great loss in time and mon
sy in packing 100 barrels out OF an or
chard, when 10y proper selection 75
barrels would sell for more money.
There are numerous competitors in
the market, and IL we bear OF the
prize, we must have the best fruit. APP
Piles from the State If New York long
took the lead as the best, and sold for
the highest price. But timber getting
scarce, and the apple crop increasing,
they hit on this happy way out Of their
trouble by making the barrel smaller
and thus save the timber. But con-
sumers not seeing il in that light look
ed around and found they had plenty
| II barrel material IN Michigan, and
a. Il. 4
pies command half n dollar more. ow-
| ing to the difference In the size of the
barrel. Now We do not want TO repeat
her folly, for consumers are not going
70 pay as much for q small as a large
barrel, when freight aud other expenses
are the same.
Now as TO the size Of the barrel 10
use, say one OF three bushels. Whyf
/ Because 10 is al honest barrel and 1t
pays aud saves time. To demonstrate
this: A car OF apples retailed in Iowa
at 40c per peck would make n differ
ence OF soc, add 20 this i0c for empty
barrels and ID makes Sl.20 per barrel,
or $4,000 on car load, ia favor OF
the large barrels. while the empty
small barrel is worthless. In Colorado
apples retail for l0c per pound, max
ing difference of 81 30 per barrel, or
| $4,000 per car load, nearly the first
cost Of the apples. Now seen through
one end Of the telescope this halt bush
ell Of apples looks small; seen through
the other end 1t assumes large proper
tions. Let the producer put himself
IN the consumers place and he will not
use any more small barrels.
The Institute then adjourned for
dinner.
After dinner Thos. II. Hewlett, oi
Jonesville, opened the discussion on
the question OF marketing fruits. lie
said that common honesty was neces.
ssry in both the farmer and buyer in
order to market frrit to the best ad.
vantage, ard gave somo examples Ia
illustrate the point. lie agreed with
Mr.. Archer in regard to the method oI
packing. &C. lie also advocated early
picking and marketing ia order TO get
ahead OF tho apples OF Western New
York, and thus getting better prices.
Mr.. Willitts asked who was to blame
for the putting in OF poor fruit and oi
marking by wrong name, and Mr.
Hewlett answered that the dealer was
TO blame. and that the farmers should
do their own packing in order 90 avoid
both OF these difficulties. as the dealer
could not II he would procure conpe
tent packers.
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