Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-11-11

were MS chudre in rags and woe.
Chicago Record. Herald
ADVICE TO TOMATO CANNERS
The following letter from one well
known and very popular in thi
section will be read with interest:
To mq friends, The Tomato Packer
of Eastern Virginia:
GENTLEMEN:-I desire to call you
attention to some of the details con
nected with the packing business
which feel confident will be Of
pecuniary benefit to some of you, a.
least. | am fully aware that man,
OF you have had much greater ex.
perlence in the packing business than
l, but the facts herein contained
have been ascertained from a prac.
teal experience of nine years in this
business, and close observation OF all
the details connected Herewith, both
In packing and selling the product
wish to call your attention tc
three items, which 1 consider of vital
Importance, In the upbuilding of this
growing industry in our section of
Virginia:
1st. Sell if you can, and give
away if you cannot sell, any machine
hllers that you may have, and pack
your goods by hand.
2nd. Use only Pineapple holecans.
3rd. See that your fruit is ripe
and properly peeled, that your labels
are put on neatly, and cans and cases
handled in such manner as to keep
them perfectly clean.
If the proper care is used in pro-
eessing and the above suggestions
carried out, am confident three
fourths of our packers will realize
from q cents to 5 cents per dozen
more for their goods than if they
continue to use machine filters and
Peach hole cans.
Some of you will say the cost of
filling cans by hand is too great,
greater than filling with machine.
| know from experience that it is
less. Let us see: A yield of twelve
cans per bushel, throughout the
season, is, / am told, considered a
good yield where a machine is used;
when packed by hand, if properly
done, your yield will average fifteen
cans.
This, as you will observe, is a saw.
ing of twenty-five per cent in fruit
or four cents per dozen, basing the
cost of fruit at twenty cents pei
bushel. An ordinary factory will
pack three hundred cases per day; al
eight cents per case, as noted above
your saving will be $24,00 per day
deduct from this the total cost OF
packing by hand, the extra cost oi
five cents per hundred for Pine Apple
hole cans, and the additional cost oil
solder, and you have a saving oi
$l2.00 per day. In addition to this
you have goods that are worth in any
market "a cents per dozen more
than machine packed goods, which
means an additional profit of $l5.Ot
per day, making a total additiona
profit of $4,000 on the three hundred
cases.
suggest the use of Pine Apple
hole cans, for the reason that on,
woman will fill three cans in th,
same length of time that she viii
fill two of Peach hole cans, and tn,
fruit will 60 into the can whole
thereby saving fruit and giving yoy
a can of goods as nearly perfect as i
is possible to pack. Some of you viii
doubtless say my figures are tot
high. For arguments sake only (fol
experience has taught me that my
figures are right, cut my estimate il
half, and you still have q saving o.
l$13.50 on three hundred cases, ant
you have goods that will pass in any
market, and never be "thrown up
on your hands, no matter what tn,
tmarket conditions may be. Thinl
it over. gentlemen; it is well worth
your while to do 80.
| l sincerely trust that each of yol
will assist in establishing reputa
tion for Virginia Packed Goods,
which will not be equaled by an,
other state in the union.
Yours very truly,
X. A. CLAYBRooK,
Of Claybrook-N -Neale Packing Co.
Bowlers Wharf, Va.
SOME CROP RETURNS.