Semi-weekly herald., 1910-03-24
GROWING AND MARKETING FRUIT
'R. j, Frazier in intermountain Fruit
Journal published at Grand
Junction, Colorado)

JUNCTION, COlOra0O.b
While the growers interest is pri.
| marily ceDiered in the producing of a
| crop and all the labor and expense
entailed thereby is matter which
engages his attention constantly, it
is with the end in view of being able
10 market 1t profitably. This being
the case, 1t behooves every grower to
earnestly exercise every effort from
start TO finish to bring about the
desired result.
When a grower has expended time
and money in planting, pruning and
cultivating and has done everything
possible to bring a crop into bearing,
1t would naturally he supposed that
after so much labor and expense, no
effort would be spared to enhance the
value of the product, but it is right
here that many growers fall down and
do not reap the full benefit because
they are less careful in preparing the
| fruit for market than they have been
in bringing the crop to fruition.
The three points on which many
growers are deficient are. viz: picking.
grading and packing and concerning
these we would submit the following
remarks:
Pieking-The writer has observed
many cases during the past season
when certain varieties were not pick.
ed at the proper time to permit of
tage. This refers particularly to plums,
prunes, pears, early peaches and sum.
mer apples. In some sections these
have been held on the trees until
they were unfit for shipment either
within or without the boundaries of
The state. The growers should bear in
mind The fact that in order to obtain
the best results, such varieties as
plums and prunes should be picked
in semi-ripe or greenish condition,
and this is also true of early peaches
hardy variety as the Colorado Elberta
should be picked before 1t has ap-
preached ripeness even if not fully
colored.
ln regard to pears, some growers
seem to think they should be yellow
before being picked but yellow pear
is never worth as much as a green
one in eastern markets and it would
be better for a grower to pick pears
dead green than to pick after the fruit
has started to turn yellow. Thousands
of dollars have been lost to growers
during the past season through allow.
ing fruit to arrive at an advanced
stage before being picked, and asso.
citation managers have had hundreds
of complaints of fruit arriving at its
destination in an over-ripe condition
to one of fruit arriving too green. This
is point that should receive the care
ful attention of every grower who
wishes to realize best results for the
fruit, regardless of the fact that the
fruit may in their opinion be far from
ihaeuiitys ne elSHt W Twelve or nj
teen days en- route which is necessary
10 reach most markets. even under re-
| lfiigeration. will not prevent the va.
rieties mentioned above from ripening.
Fruit should arrive at distributing
points fit for reshipment to other
smaller markets in adjacent territory.
Grading in the fruit
line, as in every other line is very
Keen nowadays and it is only the fruit
that is carefully graded that will bear
| close inspection and bring desired re-
| suits. 1t is utterly impossible for
any representative of any fruit ship
ping association to secure top market
prices for fruit not properly graded
The finest kind of salesmanship on the
part of an association representative
Will not overcome the handicap Of
fruit graded as fancy which belongs
to lower grade or in the Gull pile.
1t is self-evident fact that II fruit
Ia below the grade represented by
brand or stencil when 1t Is shipped,