Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-03

In picking and packing do not handle
more than is absolutely necessary
Handle by the stems as much as prac.
ticable. Always pack in neat. attrac-
tive packages and above all give hon.
est weight or measure. This is of vital
( Importance. 1t is the custom with
many fruit growers TO use short
packages and then ease their con-
science by Offering them at so much a
basket or package. This may, in a
sense, be honest but it is not wise.
Many. strawberry growers use short
quart baskets because customers do
! not know the difference.
In my market it is the custom to sell
| piums, pears and other like fruits by
| the peck, and | know of several grow
ers who use baskets that hold only
about six quarts and sell them for so
much basket, the price being. the
same as others sell full eight quarts of
the same kind of fruit. The result has
been that people got fooled into buying
once and now these growers are send
ing their fruits to other markets NV
advice is don't do it. Put up YOUR
fruit in such a manner that if a. would
be customer doubts your measure or
honesty you will be more than GLAD to
demonstrate to him by turning into a
measure before his eyes, Even if YOU
do not say to your customers, ",rhe
price is so much a peck" they believe
they are getting such, and if they have
been deceived they will look elsewhere
for their fruit in the future.
A large majority of the fruit grow
r,,se, n;,,1l, e..
limited amount of fruit, do not realize
the importance of nice, clean pack
ages for their products. To illustrate:
Last fall | was invited out to a farm to
inspect a crop of Greening and Bald
win apples. The farmer was very
proud of them, and well he might he
The trees had been set eight wears
and were loaded with the finest apples
1 ever saw. There We're from two to
four barrels to a tree, that would av-
GRACE fully so per cent. No. l apples.
AS have no Greetings / said to the
owner pick me "a barrel of the very
best and bring them to me and make
your own price, but l want the very
apples saw. They were from the trees
and the apples and price were all right.
but the barrel he brought them in
looked like an old swill barrel. No
Self-respecting farmer would have mt
potatoes in such a barrel. The inside
was covered with filth and mold. the
rats had evidently had free access to
it for years and it had not been even
brushed out before putting in the an
pies. Now this man is called a good
farmer and has quite large apple or.
chard, but it is evident that he does
rot realize the Importance of clean. at
tractive packages for fruit The mar
kets are never glutted with the best
fruit. 1t is the poor inferior fruit |
placed on the market in this don't
care or don't know how manner that |
gfuts them and disgusts both the grow |
ef and consumer. | have often seen
good local grown strawberries selling |
IN our market here at 25 cents for four
ana six quart boxes while l was get |
ting ID cents per box for my berries in !
the same market and not able to sun |
Fly the demand at that ALWAYS re- !
member that good local market is
the best market in the world, and that |
It IS easy to get and easier to lose.