The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-02
VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS FOR MAR
KEELING FRUIT.

Necessity of Care.-In addition to in
telligent and thorough culture, special
attention must be given to tho best
disposition of crops. In these times
of close competition, the successful
fruit-grower must be we'll informed
upon markets, where heavy, supplies
are coming from, where TO ship to best
advantage, the expenses in shipping to
different points, reliability of commits
sion men, their facilities for handling
and storing fruit.
The Sales Observation-Disclosures in
forma ton as to al well-es'tablished, re-
liable firm to Ship to. Do not ship to
every man who sends out letters solicit
ing trade and promising prices consid-
erably above the regular market, for
many ouch are only sidewalk statesmen
with no established place of business;
they will return one or two good sales,
get run of trade and then move to
another street, failing to make further
return for fruit received. With so
many good firms of long years of ex-
cellent reputation, there is no excuse
for losing money through irresponsible
statesmen. II Is, better to send to only
one firm in a place, for if the fruit is
uniformly fine, a trade will be estab-
lished upon the trademark, and where
two or more firms are handling re
same mark, different prices are some
times asked. according to supply and
demand, and sometimes lower prices
are taken than where the firm has the
entire handling of the mark.
Should Know the Market.-The grow
er should go to the market in which
his fruit is to be sold, inform his sales
man as TO what he has, confer with
him about the package most desirable,
how the fruit should be packed and
displayed. The salesman knows what
his trade demands, the grower does
not; hence the grower, to get the best
prices, must meet the wishes of those
who buy, and he must find this out by
going to the market or corresponding
with the salesman.
The Packing-Inferior fruit should
not be shipped, in fact, should not be
grown. 1t is not wanted, is in the
way, has to be marketed off and is
an injury, to a certain extent, to good
fruit. Uniformity in package and in
packing is required. Understood bar
rels should not be used. Fruit should
be assorted in two grades, fine and
good. The growers name should be
placed on all good fruit, but not on
that which is below good. A good class
of men only should be employed in the
packing and handling of fruit, for the
work is of a different character from
that of handling potatoes. Employ by
the day, not by the job. Women are
good in asserting and packing fruit, for
they handle not only quickly, but as a
rule more carefully than men. Ship
in carload lots as far as possible, as
better rates of transportation can be
had, and better sales realized than for
small lots.
Secondary Considerations = Every
community should be equipped with
facilities for using up fruit when mar
kets become heavily overStocked. Can
neries and evaporators will save losses,
and enable a wider distribution of
fruit in home and foreign markets.
Cold storage is especially valuable for
pears and apples, extending the season
over much longer period. 1t is better
to store pears in the city where they
are to be sold, as the customer can
secure his fruit at the time he wants
it, and rent or storage charges at so
cents per barrel per month are not
more costly than to provide storage
where the fruit is grown.
Congratulations fruit business
needs to be placed on a better.
thoroughly organized business basis.
There should be in every town, where
orcharding is attempted, a fruit grow
ers' union or association, to which every
fruit grower should belong. All fruit
should be properly graded, inspected
and placed in market in the best pos
sible condition. Upon such a basis, the
income to grower and handler would
be materially increased.
GEORGE T. POWELL.
Synopsis of a lecture before the New
York Horticultural Institutes