The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-10-02
FARM AND HOME TOPICS.
ANEW CONTRIBUTORS SUGGESTIONS
Fruit-Growing and How to Pack It-Some
Truths About Farmers-Fan Planting
of Fruit Trees-GoOd Recipes
and Farm Notes.
[Copyrighted.l

in the investigation that properly belongs
to our occupation, that of fruit-grOwing.
1t will be needless for me to say word TO
increase the interest we already take and
that fruit-growing always commands; but
would rather prefer to take the more intri-
cate problems of cultivation and proper
disposition of fruits that will add profit,
to properly reward our care and labor.
There are many topics in which we have
a common interest, and would be pleased
to have the reader take share OF profit
in our investigation of them.
The present season has been disastrous
one, as far as profits are concerned, to the
fruit-grower. The crop of small fruits was
much larger than ordinary, bat when ex-
penses OF picking and marketing were
taken out little or nothing was left to the
grower. The main cause of all this is the
want of the proper distribution OF the
fruit. 1t passes through too many hands
before it reaches the consumer. In other
words the producer and consumer are too
far apart, and the many hands through
which it passes before the consumer is
reached eats ali the profit and takes so
much time that the fruit is so stale as to
be nearly worthless at the point of con-
sumption.
The growers should canvas the larger
towns and cities, and sell directly to the
retailer, getting at once as near the con-
sumner as possible, who would then receive
the fruit much earlier and in an excellent,
fresh condition. The present conditions
of the matter stands like this: The
1 1 - ~
for picking. The railroad takes cent or
more if the carriage is at all lengthy. The
carter IL cents or So the commission for
selling a cent or two, use of crates J cent;
all must be taken from the proceeds be-
fore the grower realizes anything. The
market is so glutted, all sending TO the
wholesale dealer that the price often falls
below cents per quart, and below the
expense of shipping. In the consumers
standpoint it appears this way: cents to
wholesale dealer, , cents for delivery to
retailer, cents for reselling to consumer
or - cents cost to those vino use them and
still nothing to the producer. There is no
need that this be permitted. The grower
should make an effort to reach the con-
sumner more easily. Let them establish
routes the same as milk routes in all large
cities. Sales will largely increase. Many
who cannot afford il now will have them
brought to him in easy reach. The grower
will have an increased outlet for fruit and
a respectable balance would be placed to
his credit.
The prices for good apples andpears will
probably rule much above those OF last
year. The profit for better packing and
handling will be greater than if prices
were lower. The correct way is to pack
carriage and handling possible, which only
bruises the fruit and adds nothing to econ
omy. Always select new barrels; old
ones are not only damaged in appearance,
but also contain the germs of rot that will
affect the fruit put in them. Make at
least three grades of fruit. The best
should be packed as well as picked with
out bruising. Remove the upper head
from the barrel and select enough even
sized, fair-colored fruit and place them,
stem down, in the bottom of the barrel,
fill them evenly and snuglY. A second
course should be less carefully placed on
them, stems also down. The barrel is
now filled with only the best fruit of equal
quality throughout Fill the barrel up,
shaking moderately while filling, round
ing full, and by means of lever or barrel
press, gently force the head into place and
replace the hoops, overturn the barrel and
mark on the end the variety Of fruit and
quality. When the head is removed you
will be surprised at the fine appearance of
the fruit if the packing has been properly
DONE The barrel will reach the market
in good condition. Pack the second grade
equally as carefully, rejecting all poor
specimens. The third grade always feed
to hogs or dispose of at or near home.
We advise the placing of your name and
address in each barrel OF selected fruit.
This will secure you credit for your pack
ing, and may secure you profitable sales
when your business methods are known.
We believe, as a class, there is none gen.
orally more honest than the farmer, and
none more uniustly accused of false deal
ing He is accused of putting all the
small apples in the middle OF the barrel,
the best peaches at the top of the basket,
the rotten tomatoes in the bottom, filling
berry boxes so loosely that it takes two to
make quart, sending rotten pumpkins TO
market, keeping the best at home, and q
much longer list of misdemeanors are I'M
Justly laid at his door The blame more
often is not his. The apples are sold often
in bulk in the orchard. the buyer doing
all the packing himself, for which the
farmer gets all the blame. The peaches
are selected by the retailer very carefully
and placed aside. The basket of peaches
remaining is carefully covered by another
and by a rapid turning upside down the
order of packing is reversed and the Sc
lected peaches soon grace the top, with
the gratuitous remark: Just as received
from the farmer" 1t is not pleasant to
dwell upon the many tricks played upon
the purchaser where, by dexterous over
turning, one basket into another basket
or two is gained, few boxes of berries
the same way. The large barrel of prod
uce made to fill smaller ones. The frauds
should be placed where they belong and
not all unwisely placed to the charge Of
the farmer.
In the fall planting of fruit trees,
whether successful or not, depends upon
the soil and climate. As rule, in all Sc
we're climates it is seldom advisable and
less so In heavy soils than in light ones.
The open exposure to the cold of fall set
trees is apt to dry and shrivel them, and
if they are not killed outright, their vitality
is so much weakened that it is long before
they recover. When trees are received in
the fall the proper plan is to heal them in
packing them together in a trench as close
as possible, slanting toward the south,
that sun will have less effect on them, and
covered with at least foot OF dirt over
the roots and slanted to turn off all water
that falls on them, or the roofs will be
rotted. Where soil and climate permit