Durango semi-weekly herald. (Durango, Colo.) 1899-1907, 1903-10-19
APPtEs KEEP BEST
IN SMALL PACKAGES.

IN SMALL PACKAGES
Old fashioned Barrel Being Discarded
For ompaet Square Box by Grow
ers VINO Study W nts Of the Con
sumess.
Therd has been much discussion
lately among apple packers as to
whetherllt Is profitable to use smal.
Ter pack Ees in which to pack apples.
Both sides OF the question have their
advocates. but there can be no ques.
ton that there IS an increasing sen.
timent I'M favor of packing fancy APP
pies, at itast, in boxes holding about
a bushel.
The points made against the use
OF the box are:
The smaller package can receive
rougher handling in shipping us the
three-bushel barrel cannot be pitched
around
Three boxes. holding the same guam.
tity OF fruit as barrel, will cost more
than the latter package.
| The packages will be placed closer
together in storage. preventing as free
circulation of air.
The points in favor OF the boxes
| are summed up:
The box timber can be bought in
the fiat, and no expert mechanic will
be required to make up the packages.
whereas high-priced skilled labor is
needed to make up the barrels.
Boxes can be exported more cheaply,
owing to the fact that space in stor.
age apartments Of steamers is sold by
the cubic foot, and the boxes can be
placed more compactly
When the fruit is placed in storage,
the fruit In the middle of the package
will be more readily reached by the
cold air, and the entire package Will
reach the lower temperature much
sooner with the smaller package.
In using the smaller package, there
will be no temptation to put inferior
fruit in the middle OF the package.
as there often Is when packing a bar
rel Of apples
The chief argument in favor OF the
box is that the fruit would reach the
consumer in better condition and the
consumption wouiu ue greatly III
creased
There can be no question that the
last point is one of the strongest in
favor of the use of the box. II the
consumer knows he Is getting Just
what he wants. he will be willing to
buy bushel of fruit. where now he
buys perhaps a dozen apples. There
will unquestionably be greater care
exercised in packing bushel box than
in packing three-bushel barrel.
The fruit will be better and will
have the confidence OF consumers.
Under the present method OF packing
apples In barrels. few cisy people are
able to buy the fruit In the original
packages, In the first place the bar
rel Is an unwieldly package, aud Is
hard to handle. II must be delivered
by an EXPRESS wagon, whereas small
box OF apples can be taken home on
the street car II need be.
Again. few families can take a bar
rel of apples from aald storage and
use the entise three bushels, without
considerable loss. even though the
contents Of the barrel are first class
when taken from the storage. II is
well known that when fruit is taken
from storage in midwinter and kept
In warm pantry or cellar. it ripens
very rapidly. Few families can use
the contents of o threebushel barrel
before some OF the fruit has decayed.
In the case of the box, however. the
bushel can be used up before there
is any loss, and there Will be demand
for more,
Before the late meeting OF the
American Pathological Society at Boz
ton. J. H. Hale. the greatest grower OF
Connecticut and Georgia. touched on
this question. and made a strong plea
for smaller packages for fancy ap-
pies.
THE largest possible package which
can be used to get the fruit from the
grower 10 the consumer. without the
package ever having been opened. IL
the ideal package" said he, "The
buahel box, therefore. would seem
about the extreme limit In size, and
really believe the time will come
when fancy apples will be packed in
small baskets. similar 10 the eight
pound grape basket. And when that
time comes the consumption of APP
pies Will be multiplied many times,
Get the consumers to trust the brand
OF certain grower and packer, and
let him know the package he buys is
The original one in which the fruit
left the farm, and he will not hesitate
to pay good price for the fruit"
Attention was called to certain
propaganda in favor Of buying soda
crackers in the original package. aud
the question was asked II anyone
doubted that the consumption Of crack
ers had been greatly Increased since
this package was adopted
AS evidence that the bax ~ an APP
pie package Ia growing in favor. 1t
may be said that the apple growers
OF Oregon, Colorado and Washington.
pack all their fancy fruit In boxes. and
receive large prices for same This