The newspaper., 1910-02-11

is difficult as well, to find six or eight
persons who will occupy one OF our
large tents and remain congenial.
Sanitary conditions are sacrificed by
attempting to operate an eating
house under canvas. Furthermore,
the cost of erecting and dismantling,
and the items of depreciation Eand
petty losses are 80 great as to die
courage anything temporary.
The help employed at Coburn
switch, being compelled to board at
slightly higher prices than we were
charging in our eating houses at
Paonia and Roberts switch, paid no
rental on their tents; the equipment
at Paonia failed to pay expenses and
that OF Roberts switch, by boarding
q number OF ranch hands, was able
to make a satisfactory showing. In
Justice to those In charge Of the Pa
onia branch 1t should be sta ted that
there was not enough steady patron
age to insure favorable results. The
operation was conducted very capa-
bly, under the conditions.
PACKING:-The year in which we
fail to report some degree of pro-
gress in methods OF packing our
fruit will be worse than wasted. The
management has not accomplished
all 1t desired at the beginning of the
season, but we feel that some ad-
vancement worthy OF note is re-
corded. We have been to much
trouble and expense to determine to
what degree mechanical appliances
are applica BILE to our operations.
The peach grading experiment re-
suited successfully. With ouly an
average crew we were able to show
an increased output of 80 per cent.
at only nominally greater cost; while
by selecting our fastest packers a
gain OF over 100 per cent was made.
By the aid OF mechanical sizing we
found also, that a much more uni
form and attractive pack was Sc
cured. do not hesitate to say that
when our houses are equipped with
grading machines such as thepattern
now most favorably considered by
us. we can handle fully 80 per cent.
more fruit in the same length of time;
and II to these graders are added au-
tomato conveying apparatus and
minor other time-saving devices, 100
per cent more fruit can be packed and
shipped with less expense and in the
same time.
There is a well-defned feeling
among growers, shippers and re-
ceivers that the grade terms In use
throughout the Rocky Mountain
fruit sections are poorly descriptive
of either the contents OF the package
or the intent of the packer. With
this I'm mind, we devised "A system OF
packing peaches by number. using
what IL known as the ''3-2" pack for
the largest and the ''3 ." for all
Others. This method OF marking
won instant favor when 1t was
placed before the trade, and besides
being more just to the grower 1t is
Oh HTedJ sJdtistiCdi Ndiuc W thc hob-
agement in preparing for a seasons
business
"Fancy'' Is the only grade tie. m
still in use on our apples, and this
may he discarded later. Our best ap-
pies, as you know, are packed under
our trademarked "Columbine" label,
while tine stock heretofore known as
"Choicc" now bears nothing but va
riety and reference marks and il de-
signrted In shipping as BLANK" Mr..
Garvin doubtle-s has something OF
value to give us in this connection,
also. BY limiting the quantity we
proposed to handle at each of our
packing stations and making an
equitable distribution OF our help,
we avoided the congestion which
has been such a source Of annoyance
heretofore, and 1t is gratifying to re-
call that what is generally spoken OF
as the peach rush" found us at no
time seriously behind with our pack
ing.
New PACKAGES: Ayear ago we be-
gan Investigating the probable sue
cess or failure of an original idea in
packing our finest apples, that of
the dozen carton. The opinions given
us by all the dealers with whom we