Milford chronicle., 1913-10-03
The APPLE PACKING SCHOOL.

The Apple Packing School which has
! been in progress at Camden, Delaware,
during the week from September 29tn
| to October 4th, has had a distinct pur-
pose, namely, to forward the movement
to establish for this Peninsula a standard
for box apples. No better apples are
grown anywhere in the world than those
grown here none better in flavor none
better in appearance, and none higher
in color than is easily possible to grow
here. Some favored valleys may have
more sunshine than we have, but with
proper spraying, pruning and tlllage, we
can develop our apples to the highest
possible color, and most beautiful ap-
pearance. Such apples, when of high
quality, as many of our varieties are,
are strictly fancy and should command
strictly fancy price. They should never
be sold on the city market for less than
S4 for a bushel box. 1t may not always
be possible to get this price, but it will
always be possible to get fancy price
a price far above the best price possible
for apples packed in barrels.
To secure this result organization is
absolutely necessary organization that
will secure the cooperation of every sue
cessful apple grower on the Peninsula.
This is the aim of the movement now IN
progress.
Every city of any considerable size
has large number of people who are
willing to pay a fancy price for a strictly
fancy article. Apples have become one
of the Indispensable articles OF diet for
CITY people. The poor must be content
with the poorer grades of fruit. The
rich and well-to-do will buy the fancy
fruit. This fruit must be handsome in ap-
pearance, without blemish, every pack
age uniform as to size and quality, so
grown and packed that it will keep for
a long time in perfect condition. When
a man buys a box of fancy Delaware
apples. he should be certain that that
box is standard and has not an imperfect
apple init. If an apple is slightly bruised
at any time before it is placed in the box
a bruise so slight as to escape detection, |
such an apple will not come out in perfect
condition. Boxes are so constructed that
they hold a definite quantity of fruit, /
namely, an even bushel, and the fruit is /
so packed that it is possible to stamp
on the package the number of apples in |
each box.
John NJ. Steitz, who is conducting the
Apple Packing School, SAYS that Dela /
ware has number of peculiar and very |
remarkable advantages which make it
one of the best apple growing sections
in the world, independent of the fact
that it is close to all the big markets
of the eastern United States. We have
a long growing season so that trees
managed come into bearing at
a very early age. The soil is easily
titled, and by means of crimson clover
and other legumes, it can be quickly
and cheaply built up to high state Of
fertility and productiveness. 1t is so
easily titled and so level that it can be
thoroughly every week by
the use of the proper wide-spreading
harrows and other implements. The
climate is almost IDEAL Rains are
frequent enough so that an apple orch
ard properly TILED need never suffer
seriously for the want of moisture.
Land is low in price. In some sections
much less favorably situated, raw land
is selling for several hundred dollars per
acre. It will be easy to secure an
abundance of labor from the cities dur
ing the fruit packing season, labor that
can be trained to a high degree of skill
and efficiency. With all these advan-
tages Delaware apple growers should
be able to make as much as any apple
growers in the world