The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-08-25
Letter From Mr.. Dabbs

| Tyron, Aug. ID. 1920
| Well. we have closed one week of
grape harvest. and have been fun,
initiated into this intereAing part OF
the industry.
Monday morning with two exper-
fenced helpers we arranged the pack
ing house and by buildingI tables
arornH three sides or a room. Ihe
lumber was dressed and cut TO nit. and
all we had To do was to take it out
or storage in the loft of the garage.
and fit IL up. Some vineyards have
permanent packing houses. but ours
IL rot extensive, enough TO devote u
building for this purpose.
just as this was ready a rain came
up. so our helpers proceeded t., the
basement OF the garage and be,;ap
mailing up crates. >Cfae came frop
Norfolk. Virginia i'm car lots. Kncked
down 2, end blocks. two bottom
bards. 3 side panels aud one top for
each crate, all iqin bundles for 10
Grated I'm each package OF ends. bot
toms. sides aud tops Tuesday il
rained all day so no work could be
done. Wednesday we began cutting
and bringing I'm the grapes The
carriers aHe about inches deep 16
Inches wide and "a inches long with
a hoop handle bent over the middle
Grapes two layers deep are about a.
much as man can carry TO the
pack house conveniently. There they
are placed on shelves on the floor.
The trimmers are seated convent
m q n /,.a, Gal.
iy trim out all broken berries unr,pe
berries or Dummies" as they dried up
grapes from black rot are called. They
use 'scssors-a special scissors being
made for the purpose. AS trimmed,
the lunches arc laid on the table one
layer deep. and stand for IA to "a
hours so the stems may wilt hcfore
packing. This Is to keep them from
bruising when packed.
The packer takes a two quart bas
kct and lays q sheet OF tissue paper In
IT.. Some of the viuyeards could not
get the papers this year. We have q.
| full supply left by the former owner
On the paper Is printed the name of
the vineyard or grower and 'rryon
Fruit Exchange. Incorporated II mix
ed varieties are put in the same crate
! two labels are, pasted ON So that the
word Delaware shows at the end OF
| the white label, and If grarcS arc
mixed In the Baskets You must put
thom in layers but the same color musl
show from bottom OF basket TO top
section OF white. anosher Of red ard
IL three varieties in one BASKET sec
tion OF black. All tNesc uia,tera. se
| nc baskets > 20 crate md pnnnoE a
packing and labelling are regulated
Dy u. s. law for all interstate snip
ments and by n, C. law FOR intTagtatt
shipments.
| We were the first to send grapes 20
The Exchange Thursday. l5y WORKING
between showers (and grapes must
not be picked weD we and the others
have putlout about half a normal sup
Iply. Arid still II rains. / do not
know enough about the business to
say how much IT Ia costing MS n day.
We have already sustained heavy loss-
es in the waves of black rot. that
swept our vineyards La June and July,
In no vineyard was it completly con
trolcd. though some sprayed -four
times.
VI we had fun crop the price 0f
Sa.'5 per crate E. @. b.. would bo
pretty good. but II costs FOR labor
alone to harvest $500 a crate is nv
experience. with Il not well balanced
crew and showers tEot Kept me from
getting the hest results
MY, our people should see the prices
for w8terinelons and cantaloupcs that
the wagons bring up from Laudrnm
ana Campobello. 25 TO 90 cents for
cantaioupeS, 40 cents 20 81 90 for wat
erme'ons. am glad TO see some Soutt
carolina Farmers can get back some OF
Tie money South Carulnp tourist,
spend in North Carolina.
So long until ncxt time.
T., w Dabbs.