Smyrna times., 1902-02-12
FRUIT GROWERS DECLARE
IN FAVOR or PEACH BASKET
UNANIMOUSLY DEKOUNCES SUGGESTED
CHANGE FOR COVERED CARRIERS.
Testimony of the Most Prominent Fruit Grow
ers of the State Ia Favor OF the Pres
ent Five-Eighth Peach Basket.

ers of the State ia Favor OF the Pres
ent Five.Eighth Peach Basket.
Growers of peaches from all over the
Delaware peninsula, and everybody in
terested in the peach business, from |
the basket maker to the commission
merchant and country store keeper, |
assembled at Dover, Thursday, in a
big convention to consider the advis- |
ability of doing away with the time
honored Delaware peach basket as a
carrier. The Kent county Court
House never contained a more inter
esting convention. At first it was
thought that more politics would be
discussed than peach baskets, of
course, on the outside. When the
basket discussion began, however, pol
itics we're entirely forgotten about.
The free Parliamentary discussion
resulted in an overwhelming over
throw of the action recently taken by
the Kent County Grange and the Pen
insula Horticultural Society at Berlin,
deciding that some covered package
must be adopted in the shipment of the
5000, 900 baskets of fruit which this
peninsula produces, for the reason that
new methods required a more tempt
ing package that could be carried home
by the average housewife in markets,
that the railroad companies could not
afford to continue the shelving of cars
to accommodate the top-heavy peach
baskets, that cars could be used for
other purposes during the season and
would not have to be carried back
empty, that commission men preferred
the carrier and frequently had the fruit
changed from the Delaware peach bas-
ket to the Hudson river carrier, so that
they would sell more readily.
There was so much enthusiasm while
some of the testimony was being taken
that the witnesses were interrupted by
applause.
Judicial Board Offers Opinion.
President r. M. Cooper, of the
Farmers Institute. who acted as chair
man of the meeting, began with the
statement of how the meeting propos
ed to cover every phase of the ques
ton. Having had conferences will
nearly all the prominent growers, h
declared that if there was no objection
he would appoint a committee of nin'
men, representing the entire Della
ware peninsula, to sit as a judicia
board in hearing the opinions. Their
was no objection and the committe
was selected from the floor. The com
mittee then took. their places in tn
Judges chairs in the court room. The
were: Upper Kent county, James W
Anthony, Smyrna; Central Kent, Will
liam NJ. Prouse, Magnolia; Lowe
Kent, John J. Rosa, Milford; Ne'
Castle county, James I. Shallcros'
Middletown; upper Sussex, George Il
Hall, Milford; central Sussex. J. A
Ellegood, Ellendale; lower Sussex
Thomas B. Giles, Seaford; Quee
Anne's county, Md, Thomas Jo1e!
Ridgely; Caroline county, jerome A
Davis, Goldsboro.
Remarks were made by Fred. Whit
head, of Lincoln; J. J. Rosa, Milfor,
Cornelius Swain; of Bridgeville; Lieu
Governor Cannon; Jerome A. Davi
of Greensboro, Md; r. NJ. Cooper,
Cheswold; Charles J.. Terry, of Can
den; H. HI. Vivian, of Seaford; job
o. Truitt and Charles Barker, of Nj
ford; George NJ. Fisher, of Wyoming
J. w. Anthony and Charles B. Masse
of Smyrna; A. N. Brown, of Wyomin
Division Freight Agent Charles
Kingston and others. At the concl
sion the committee prepared a resol
ton recommending the retention
the fve-eighth basket and shelving
cars, which the convention unaI
mously adopted.
The convention appointed Simeon
Pennewill, John Heyd and Merritt
Willis to secure the passage of a Il
enforcing the use of uniform basil
holding fve-eights of bushel.
Fruit Growers Protective Association.
Three hundred farmers we're cal
back after the committee found in
vor of the old peach baskets and
meeting was had The Peninsula FIR
Growers Protective Association '
formed to employ the best legal tall
obtainable to right farmers wrongs
the hands of transportation compani
The executive committee is compo
of Jerome A. Davis, Goldsboro; b.
Coppage, Queen Anne's; George
s Wilson, Bridgeville; ]. A. Ellego
Glendale; George H. Hall, Milfo
Thomas b. Giles, Seaford; Chal
Hastings, Laurel; John j. Rosa, \
ford; John Heyd, FELTON,; b. t.. @
well, Magnolia; Harry McDan
Dover; j. L. Shallcross, Middleto
II. M. Cooper, Cheswold. Mr.. G.
x..o H.. A.. NJ II