Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1907-01-25
THE TRUCK PATCH.
culled from the Daily Experience Of >
Trucker Who Works.

Cleaning up truck patches and haul
ing manure are in order, and the work
should be pushed whenever the wealth
er will permit. Besides improving the
looks OF the premises, cleaning up and
burning rubbish will destroy host of
predatory insects that are only wait
ing until warm weather to come out
and attack the growing crops. A pile
OF rails, boards or stakes If left UNI
disturbed over winter will harbor
enough "punkin bugs" almost to ruin
patch of melons, cukes or squashes;
to say nothing of other pests.
It requires quite as much skill sue.
cessfully to market a crop as 1t does
to grow it. Many men can grow
crop all right, but they fall down when
1t comes to marketing it to the best
advantage.
With an adequate home market the
grower has control of his products
from start to finish. and at the close
OF each day he knows just what they
sold for. 1t is very different with the
man who must ship his products to
distant market to be sold on commits.
sion. His control ceases when the
goods are delivered to the transporta-
ton company; and he is at the mercy
or the commission man, and must wait
several days to know his fate.
The grower can control the grading
and packing, and this has much to do
with the price whether the goods are
sold In the home market or on con.
signment. In all the cities and larger
towns there are people able and will
ing to pay good prices for fruits and
vegetables If they can get what they
want. This class of people grows
larger every year. To reach them the
goods must be of superior quality and
they must present an attractive ap.
pearance. !;
Commission merchants say that
their best customers fall over each
! other to buy the consignments of Ger.
tain growers, and will not look at any.
thing else SO long as there is a chance
to get the favorite brand Such goods
are usually sold in advance of arrival.
They are in demand because they are
carefully and honestly packed and
are guaranteed to be all right clear
through. Any grower who will put up
his products neatly and honestly can
In short time establish q reputation
that will be worth money every year.
Frequently the market for sweet DO
tatoes is at it's best just before the
holidays. It's a good plan to hit that
market. It may be the potatoes are
not keeping well. If so, get them out.
After the holiday trade the market
Is nearly always dull and prices are
down for weeks. Meanwhile, potatoes
In the bin may be deteriorating every
day. In one district where large guam.
titles of potatoes are raised, black rot
was prevalent at digging time. Under
such conditions the sooner the pota.
toes are marketed after they are dried
out, the better 1t will be for the
grower.
Before packing, the potatoes should
be brushed or wiped clean and sprouts
and fibrous roots removed. While do
ing this II is an easy matter to grade
them by putting the large, medium
size and small ones into separate
boxes. This will make three grades
and they should be packed In separate
barrels. Medium size potatoes always
command the highest price, and bar
rels containing them can be marked
fancy" The large ones can be desig.
mated as mo. g." and the small ones
as common" But the different
grades can be distinguished by any
kind of mark, provided that the com.
mission man knows what the marks
mean.
The barrels should be carefully
faced with potatoes of uniform size
Some growers place all the potatoes
in the barrel by hand. Others pour
them in after facing, shaking the bar.
rel occasionally to settle the potatoes
Whichever method is used, the barrels
should be SO well filled and rounded up
that considerable pressure is required
to get the head in place. Unless this
Is done the barrels will not be full
when they reach their destination
The critical buyers. says Farm Jour.
nal, pay the fancy prices, and they
will not look at SLACK" or carelessly
packed barrel.