The log cabin Democrat., 1913-02-06
IRON MOUNTAIN ADVISES GROWERS TO FACILITATE SHIPPING
BY DECIDING EARLY ON KIND OF PACKAGES TO BE USED
 IN SHIPPING PRODUCT.

Following is a circular letter which has been mailed from the agricultural department of the Iron Mountain Railway Company to managers of fruit and vegetable growing associa- tions along that companys lines in Arkansas:
 Little Rock, Ark, Feb. 3, 1913.
 Dear Sir-Since our company as common carrier is interested in the success of the fruit and vegetable business, and since we have been do ing what we could during the past several years to assist the growers in working out better system of coop erative handling and marketing of fruits and vegetables, 1 trust ou will not consider us presumptuous in offer ing few suggestions.
 Get your growers together right away, revive your association and get to work with your preparations for handling the coming crop. Last year several associations of peach growers failed to procure satisfactory pack ages because of delay in ordering. Several others had to make nasty con- tracts at the last moment for market | ing their fruit or were left without marketing arrangements of any kind, because this extremely important mat | ter had been overlooked. In either case, the results were usually thor oughly unsatisfactory. Delay in mak- l ing arrangements for the handling of perishable products nearly always proves very expensive.
 Berry growers ought to settle right now as to the kind of packages they will want to ship in this year and the contracts should be placed for these packages just as soon as the size Of the crop can be approximately fore told. Contracts ought to be made with the best houses in the markets for handling the fruit. Moreover, grad ing and packing rules ought to be studied and thoroughly impressed up- on the minds of the growers. Much fruit of very poor quality was ship ped last year and this ought to be guarded against the coming season. Bad fruit ruins the market.
 If two or more small associations located close together intend to ship l together, as is the case in some in stances, plan of cooperation ought to be worked out and agreed upon. Strawberries will be ready to ship within a few weeks, and there is abso- lutely no time to be lost in preparing | to handle them.
 These things can be done only through the association and the asso- citation must know approximately how much fruit it will have to handle and how much package material it will have to buy, etc. The writer would, therefore, urge all communities which will have fruits or vegetables to ship, to at once revive their association and get to work.
 If anything is to be accomplished along this line the growers must turn out and attend the meetings. If they fail to do so the association cannot in form itself as to how much fruit they will have to ship or about how much package material they will need, and cannot positively bring about that cordial cooperation which is abso- lutely necessary to profitable handling of fruits or vegetables. It is usually very hard to get growers to attend the meetings until their products are about ready to ship. The result is they always have to pay much high CT price for packages and have to sell their fruit anywhere and to anyone they can. Naturally with the expe- rience of last year fresh in mind, the growers will not assume this year the terrible hazard of putting this vital matter off until the last minute.
 The agricultural department of the Iron Mountain Railway Company will be glad to cooperate with all associa- tions along it's lines by furnishing them upon request information as to the standard packages, where packag- es may be procured, names of reliable buyers and other matters of import ance to the growers.
 Yours very truly,
 l.. A. MARKHAM,