The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-03-13
TRUCK FARMING AND THR IN
PORTANCB OF PROP R PACK
ING AND MARKETING.

The last issue OF the Texas Truck
Farmer contained the following valu-
able paper, VI hich is entirely applicable
to this and a. pining States. Why
should not North Carolina truckers
and fruit growers try to build up a
reputation such as their California
brethren have9 Our Texas contempt
rary says:
The truck farmer can never hope to
make much headway in money max
ing raising truck until he not only
learns how to raise truck and where to
ship it, but aIs0 how to prepare it for
shipment. Upon this depends as much
es anything connected with the truck
industry. The sooner We realize this
truly important part of our truck
business the sooner will our results be
more satisfactory. A want of the
proper care in selecting and packing
our truck is very often the cause of
our abuse of the railroad companies
and commission men
Too much pains cannot be taken in
the preparation of our produce for
market. Only few moments spent
with reason and com psrison is all that
is required to bring us face to face with
the great importance and care we
should observe. Let US go to the store
to buy a piece Of bacon; suppose the
grocer has his bacon piled up in disar
ranged heaps on goods boxes which
have laid in the horse lot tor weeks,
aud have accumulated on their sides
scms Of the dirt, trash and other eur
roundings; suppose he cuts our meat
with knife full of rust and dirt, and
then after cutting it places it in pack
age in keeping with the box and knIfe9
We know the resuIt-we would walk
ten miles to trade with some one else.
Just go it is with our packages when
they reach town to be cold, only worse,
for the man with the bacon owns thaJ
and has to defend it, whereas the com
mission man does not own ours but
only hopes to receive a small commits
sion out of it, and there ore cannot de
| fend any such wanton negI igence. The
| freight and e1 press char ges, as we all
| know, are just as much on sorry truck
as they are on fancy stock, and no
matter in what sort of packages it is
packed the weight to draw freight
charges is always present, if there is
any difference it always looks Ike the
sorry stuff, packed or put up In un
slightly packages, weigh the most.
| Look at California lemons, pears and
peaches, and many other varieties Of
their fruits, we can always tell them
By the way they are wrapped and the
Reatness, ciea, l1ness and syeTematic
form of the package they are put up in.
Look at the immense amounts OF money
they pay for highly-colored pictures
50 go on top of their packages Of rails
ins, for paper cut In fancy shapes, with
| colored b rders, to wrap their oranges,
lemons end pears in. One will say. "a
Californian can afford TO do this" Let
Us inform you thai juet such as this is
the very cause of the Californian be
| ing able to do this-tO go to Ril this eX
pense in placing his produce upon the
markets. no one who is aC all familiar
with the subject will deny the fact tnat
Texas grown peaches aod many other
kinds Of fruit, are far superior TO any
thing California ever gre y, both as to
appearance except care in packlng)
and favor, still vs. go right il to the
same market and allow our fruits and
vegetables to sau for less than hers So
great is the reputation OF her fruits
tn It we hear of ''California fruits"
when spoken Of bY the dealer IN praise
of the article he desires to sell. Now
why can't we go to work and resolve
that California shall not hold ali the
honor of her reputation, bus tha8 we
will see to it that Chicago, New York
and other great markets ehall say
Texas fruits" when Dragging about
their canned goods, &C.. All we have
to do is to work for il and it will come.
Many of us never take into consid-
GRAFTON anything but merely what we
hope to get In the market on arrival
when preDariI our goods for ship
ment. We have seen good potatoes
shipped into the San Antonio market
in sacks that looked like they had laid
in the gutter all the previous season.
Such as this is simply criminal negli
gence, and every man who ships stuff
in this condition should be made to
come elong with it, ard before a big
crowd be made to openly acknowledge
|. es hls property. Potatoes pu6 up N
tbs IA inner will only sell wGen n re
ara N other nn-aEaes IN Eawn End