The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-02-05
SOUTHERN : FARN :: NOTES
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always, however, is TO make the fruit
look as attractive rs possible, because
on that depends the chances of sales,
especially II the market happens to be
crowded with fruit Really the work
begins away back before the orchard
is set in choosing varieties that will do
well with the conditions you propose
and attention you are able to give
them, varieties which are popular in
the markets you propose to enter.
II we so into any of the different
shipping sections we find that the
growers use and the markets seem to
demand different styles Of packages
and packing. For instance, we find
all California, Oregon and Idaho
peaches and plums put up in boxes. L
think these boxes are intended to hold
ten pounds Of fruit. In Michigan they
use small baskets of various sizes hold
ing from twelve to twenty-five pounds
Of fruit, and they will also load a large
quantity of bushel and half-bushel bas-
kets. This last style and the five
eighths baskets used in Maryland and
Delaware have the merit of being very
easy to pack. In fact, think they are
mostly filed up direct from the trees
by the pickers and hauled to the cars
without going to the peach shed at all.
In this section and with our markets
it is probable that the common six-bas-.
ket crate is the most satisfactory pack
age we can use but in Mississippi and
Texas they prefer flat crate with four
baskets.
But the packing and the handling of
them is very much the same.
You will need packing shed as we'll
located as you can get it with regard
to your roads, outlets, etc, and should
be as large and convenient as you can
get it, if you have any considerable
acreage in orchard. This is best on ac-
count of having plenty Of room on the
ground for working and setting the
baskets Of fruit; as it sometimes hap
pens that we have several hundred
baskets of fruit rushed in under cover
to avoid rain, or if the packing gets be-
hind for any reason. Then, again, it is
very handy to have several days sup
ply of crates at hand and made up be-
forehand if possible. These can be
stored overhead and brought down as
needed. Also order a good supply of
picking baskets and then double the
order, as you will sometimes need
them to keep things from being
checked by complaints of mo bas-
kets."
AS for the actual packing, can only
say that the idea is to get the baskets
nicely rounded up so that they will just
be right when the lid is nailed down on
them. Always try to have all the
peaches on the top of the crate so that
they will not shake about and thereby
bruise both themselves and the fruit
they touch. Also get an average peach
in color and appearance on top of the
crate, and in practice we soon get i'll
the habit of using fruit of finest color
and appearance for this purpose. Han
die the fruit carefully; have all wagons
with springs, also with covers to keep
off sunshine and dust in fair weather
and rain when we have showers.
We want TO do generally, but what we
can do. In small quantities, unless
you can load with some one and thus
make up a car load, you will have to
use express and such service as they
choose to give you, as local freights are
too slow. If you can load cars the re-
frigerator people Will likely be on hand
to arrange the placing of the fruit in
the cars
AS to the selling can only give the
general advice to sell as quick as you
can and be as sure as you can to get
your money. Get it, if possible, before
the fruit leaves your possession, unless
you know you ere dealing with reliable
and honest people