The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-08-01

gree OF flpcncSS Is decided. IN 1Orlncl
days peaches had to be picked some
days before they were quite ripe, so rs
to allow for transportation, but at pre-
sent, thanks to the refrigerator car and
fast freight, this is no longer necessary
and the fruit is left on the tree until
1t has come to full maturity, beng
taken just before it begins to soften.
Each picker is provided with small
canvas bag marked with his number
| md containing tickets bearing the
| anne number. lie puts one of the
| tickets in the bottom of each basket as
| &c brGlns to Iill the latter. Thus, il
any basket on reaching the asserting
table is found deficient in any respect,
as to the quality Of the peaches or
thrrWlSc, II is known at once who is
responsible, and Il "hcld insprctor'
yaliops away on his horse to admlnis-
ter ii corrective rcbukc to the indiviI-
ual at fault.
For each gauy Of pickcrs there is u
certain number Of helpers, who fetch
the empty baskets for rclilling and
'rotc" away the newly filled baskets,
carry inv them 90 the intcrsccting
avenues, where they are placed upon
low wagons for transportation TO the
packing house. This building is an
immense shed, Il loft overhead afford
Ing space for the storage Of empty
baskets and crates, while below arc
long tables, a, which stand young men
and girls who sort the peaches. This
Is expert work, the fruit being trans
icrrrd to cativas trays and sorted into
three grades -: lXtra,N "No. |" and
"Scc0nds.n
An peaches that are too ripe for
Shipment are put aside for the cvap-
orator, while dccayed ones 90 TO Il
dump, to be destroyed later hy ire
Other bands pack the fruit, az fast as
1t is graded, in baskets and nail them
up in crates, six 4 quart baskets going
To Il crate. There Is final inspection,
and the crates are loaded aboard the |
refrigerator car, which is sealed up,
not TO DC opened again until the
Northern city is reached, where the
merchandise IS to be sold The ut
most pains arc taken to make The time
AZ short as possible from the tree 10
The car, and under ordinary circum-
stances not more than an hour clapScs
after the fruit is picked before the car
is filled and sealed.
Methods equally cXpcdiuouS are
pracllCrd everywhere, though coudi-
tions vay more or less with the local
ity or production. Delaware has an
exceptional advantage in being so
near to New York, Philadelphia and
other great cities on the Eastern sea-
board. Immense quantities or peaches
arc canned in Delaware, a single
factory AT ScafOrd using 5000 baskets
a day in this way al the present time.
The people employed to peal the fruit
are nearly all women.
In Michigan there is wonderful
peach belt, which russ along the east
EN- shore of Lake Michigan for Il dis
tancc Of 100 miles; from - miles
south OF st. Joseph to the north shore
Of Traverse Bay, and varying in width
from ) to 10 miles. Unlike Georgia
and Delaware it is Il region of small
orchards, and this is one reason why
the ''intcnsivcn method OF culture al
ready described has been 50 admirably
developed Ill that part of the country.
Next to frost ihc mos! dreaded foe
OF the pcachgrowcr is the "ycllows,"
ii disease which has been found to be
cnti,eiy lncurabic. When 1t appears
the only thing to do is to dig up the
affected trees and plant others in their
places. by this means the trouble has
been wiped out to Il great extent both
in Delaware and Michigan, though
there are always Shou.slghlcd plant
crS who arc reluctant TO resort TO 50
radical a method Of fighting the plague.