The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-03-13
OKLAHOMA FRUIT.


What ~ Offers in The Hay oJ strong Conn
I,eiitioN.
1t is admitted even now that Okla
homo Is prepared to offer strong com
petition to other states in the produe- |
aion OF melons aud fruits Of superior
size, color and flavor. Last year was
strong producing season aud the lsnd
was burdened with peaches, plums.
apricots. berries, grapes aud melons.
This year the orchards give promise OF
\ surprising yield, says the Kansas
City Star.
The growers are not prepared TO dis
pose prohtably of this wealth of fruit.
They were grievously handicapped last
year by inexperience and indifference.
They stood amazed at the good things
around them, while thousands OF bush
els OF peaches rotted in the orchards
The story is told Of a New York drum
mer At Oklahoma City, who asked the
price OF some magnificent peaches.
measuring nine inches in circumfer-
ence. ''Wel," began the merchant,
hasitAtinplv, ~ guess they ought TO
be worth as much as vo bits bushel.
"Thunder and lightning" replied the
drummer, you could get ten cents
apie,e for these peaches In New York "
YES" ejoined the merchant III you
had barrel OF ice water in Aftica you
could probably get ten cents a dipper
for il "
This last statement explains largely
the trouble that eXists-the melons
and the fruits are here in abundance
but the growers have been unable 10
get the benefit Of a strong market.
Each grower has jsslously sought his
own market, not knowing what the
results would be, and has been heeced
from Lake Michigan TO the Gulf
by unscrupulous commission mer-
chants whose business IL is to watch
for just such prey as abounds in Ok
lahoma
Futile Efforts were made by few
progressive growers TO pool their ship
ments and get the benefits Of reduced
rates, good markets aud honest com
mission merchants. In almost every
instance contention arose from men
who suspected that they would be
: ''wolfed" and practical plans had to
be abandoned.
The lack OF cooperation showed bad
results IN more ways than one. The
most conspicuous defeat was the
methods of handling fruit. Most OF
Oklahoma's fruit growers are farmers
and have always been farmers
ing It into bins their corn
was gathered by tossing It into
wagon fifteen feet away. When
they began growing fruit they re-
tanned their agricultural habits. The
misfortune that followed was observed
many times last year in the orchards
of Oklahoma
Several visits were made in company
with an experienced fruit grower who
was Jealous for the advancement Of
the fruit industry. At most of the
packing sheds In the orchards, men,
women and children were dumping
peaches into the boxes as il they were
shoveling gravel on a railway section.
The experienced grower would then
say: DO you want ready sales and
good prices for your fruit? OF course
you do, but You'll never get them by
handling your fruit this way. The
first thing necessary is that your
peaches must look as attractive as
possible through the box IS, aud the
second requirement Is that the peaches
must be as sound as possible when the
boxes are opened
he would then give an object lesson
In packing peaches The fruit would
be sorted according TO sizs. The
largest peaches were taken and their
rosiest checks faced" toward the
openings in the boxes. The peaches
were packed firmly, 30 that there
would be no j)sthug and bruising.
IL was explained that the same
peaches packed ANY old way" would
sell on the market at from 2j to 50 per
cent less than the others. The profes.
sor Of peach packing would depart.
pridinR himself on biz evangelical
work. What WAS bis chBgrin Rno
wrath TO find, upon returning several
hours later, that his supposed converts
were Bgsn packing peaches in the
same OLD way. Their invari lGle reply
was: "Your new tangled ideas ar
too much trouble"
Not only would organization among
growers bring greater individual profit
but reputation would be established
for the district in which they lived
that would be like money ia the
bank" The Industrial agent OF rail.
way that passes through Oklahoma
has lately been doing missionary work
along this line and has aroused consid-
erable interest. Fruit growers In
Logan county were greatly impressed
with what he said, particularly with
his description OF the success that lad
attended the close organization oi
melon growers at Rocky Ford, Col
The growers OF Logan have already
taken steps 10 associate themselves IN
h common cause for good markets and
II good prices. Other counties will be
h encouraged TO 20 likewise.