The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-17
About Marketing Apples.


Complaint is frequently heard concerning
the quality of apples sold in city markets,
and even by the best dealers. The trouble
arises from the fact that the grading is not
done at the right time, nor at the proper
place. Not one farmer in five knows, or
probably cares, what constitutes first-claSS,
marketable apple. The fault lies with the
farmer and with the country dealer. Apples
are gathered up largely by buyers who go
through the country with teams, in many in
stances barreling the fruit in the orchards as it
is gathered, and thence sending it directly to
the market. Every fall a class of men, gen.
orally sharp, shrewd fellows, who have always
by them little ready cash, go into the apple
business with active energy. The point Is to
make money, and to make it quickly. Their
plan of operation is to start buyers out over
the country, and to also have a depot or
wareroom in the county-seat. There man
is stationed to take care of what is brought
in by the farmers themselves Some attempt
is made at sorting, so far as relates to keep
ing different varieties separate, but no atten-
ton, at most not sufficient attention, is paid
to other details of far more importance.
In first-class apples uniformity of size is
desirable; in the next place, soundness. If
an apple be wormy, if the worm-hole is red
and discolored, or if the fruit is bruised, no
matter how slightly, then it is seeondrclass
fruit, and should be classed as such. Wind
fall apples or those which have been shaken
from the trees should never be put with fruit
which has been carefully picked Apples
may appear to be perfectly sound and yet
have lain so long under the trees as to be
scarcely rated as second-class fruit.
Small fruit is apt to be hard
and green, as we'll as knotty and
wormy, while very large apples are just as
likely to be over-ripe, soft and utterly unfit
for long keeping. No light spongy apples,
nor those in the least specked should be
packed with first-class fruit A leading horti-
culturist has well said that if farmers and
fruit-growers were to throw all small and
inferior grades away and not use them at
all, the increased price their good fruit would
command would more than pay them for the
loss This is true; but it is well known that
it is not necessary to throw these grades
away. They need not be lost; they have a
use, and can be turned to profit, but not by
mixing them in with that which is branded
and sold as a first-class article. These grades
are valuable for cider and vinegar making,
and should be so used. But it seems that
short-sighted greed impels some farmers and
fruit-growers to put inferior fruit into bar
rels with the good fruit and delude them
selves with the idea that they are making
by the operation. If the entire crop of an
orchard is second-class, it will pay to grade
it as such. If, out of yield of 500 bushels,
100 are first-class, carefully grade them as
such, and let the rest go for what they will
bring as second-class fruit. Sober thought
will convince the farmer that his own inter
ests will be advanced by following at least
some of the advice here given. With the de-
mand that exists for good cider vinegar,
and with the prices he can obtain for first
class or even second class fruit, by careful
management the orchard can be made to pay
in the future far better than it has in the
DaSt.