The Prescott daily news., 1907-05-23
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 CT will permit. Besides improving the looks of the premises, cleaning up and burning rubbish will destroy a host of predatory insects that are only wait ing until warm weather to come out and attack the growing crops. pile of rails, boards or stakes if left un- disturbed over winter will harbor enough ''punkin bugs" almost to ruin a patch of melons, cukes or squashes; to say nothing of other pests.
 It requires quite as much skill suc- ceSsfully to market crop as it 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 1 from start to finish, and at the close of each day he knows just what they sold for. It is very different with the man who must ship his products to q distant market to be sold on commits sion. His control ceases when the i goods are delivered to the transporta- of 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 cer. tain growers, and will not look at any. thing else so long as there is 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 a short time establish a reputation that will be worth money every year.
 Frequently the market for sweet po- tatoes Is at its best just before the holidays It'S 8 UnOd nlnn n hit fh a market. It may be the potatoes are not keeping we'll. 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 quan- 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 it will be for the grower,
 Before packing, the potatoes should be brushed or wiped clean and sprouts and fbrous roots removed. While do ing this it 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 No 2" 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 uu 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 a slack" or carelessly packed barrel.