The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-05-13

fast as picked to the packing houses,
and to keep each picker supplied
with cups TO hold the berries. This
costs a trifle more than requiring
piokers TO take in their berries, but
it prevents an immense smount of
trampling, keeps the piokers at work
and gets the work done better and
more promptly.
PLAN THAT WORKS WELL.
Each picker is numbered and as
signed a certain number of rows,
numbered to correspond, by means
of wooden stake On this stake is
also written the picker name. The
division manager is required to
write the picker's number on each
empty CUP assigned. This can be
quickly done by taking a dozen or
more nested cups in the hand at once
and writing the number on the outer
rim of each. This also places the
number where it will be most con.
| SP1OuOuS
Very stringent orders are given
and constantly repeated to each
picker: not so trample the plants,
nor to touch a berry with their
hands, but to handle them by the
stems alone to pinch off and leave
on each berry half an inch of stem,
to always turn the reddest side of
the berry up as it is dropped in the
CUP; to fill the cups full, slightly
heaping the centre.
ONE CENTRAL PACKING PLACE.
Even at the expense of taking the
berries considerable distance it is
better to have one central packing
place. This should be of ample size
to hold crates for at least one days
packing and to give good room for
packing. Ny packing is done under
large cheaply- built houses, GEN.
trally located and arranged with
shelves under the windows for
empty cups. The windows extend
pretty much all around the house.
The window sill consists also of a
shelf or counter on which the cups
of berries can be set and counted
when necessary. But most of the
berries are brought directly into the
house by the carriers, who "tote" in
a hand carrier made like litter,
only that it is four stories high.
Each carrier holds 96 quart cups,
which fills three 80 quart crates
The tickets are counted 80 in a
bundle, with rubber band around
each bundle. The tickets are all in
charge of a man stationed at the
packing house. His business is to
issue to each pair of "toters" three
packages, 96 tickets, and to see that
they bring in berries to correspond
THE INSPECTOR.
But the most important man of ali
is the inspector. He, TOO, is stationed
at the packing house. His duties are
to inspect every cup as it comes in,
to note the numbers on the cups and
see who is picking we'll, who ill. OF
course it is not practicable to empty
every cup or basket of berries, But
experience soon enables him to de
teot scamped work, even when ever
so we'll masked by ever so smiling q
top layer of berries. At the least
suspicion he dumps a cup, and ii
picked wrong there is the sinner e
number penoiled on the CUP. Then
both, the offender and the derelict
manager of that division is brought
to book.
The inspector done, the berries are
then passed to the packers and care
fully packed in neat, new crates and
got into the refrigerator car as soon
as possible.
THE COST.
I find that this mode of handling
berries costs 10 cents 80 quart crate
by the time they get into the Car.
Of course this does not cover the
picking. It could be done in a looser
fashion for cents crate Ny ex
perience is that the cents outlay
pays me about 1000 per cent, as !
am confident that get at least 50
cents per crate more by means of it.
In my 18 years experience have
seen only one year in which could
not sell every crate of berries had.
My berries have a distinct reputS
tiOn on the New York market and
always sell above market quotations.
| am told that I am the largest
shipper to that market.
write this not TO boast, but TO