The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-03

| o0 per cent or the dried peach grow
 CTS responded by pooling their prod uct. Meetings were held and s600,- 0e0 raised to finance the operation. i It sounded the knell of the specu- | lator.
 | Cost of production at that time
 was five cents per pound. The grow
 CTS received six cents per pound | from their first years operations. This. in bulk, was about 77 per cent
 of the sales and represented twice
 the highest figure they had been re-
 ceiving for about three years. In preparing to enter the field.
 survey was made of the New York
 market, and it was found that while
 the best growers could get was three cents per pound, New York consum-
 CTS were paying IT cents per pound.
 It meant that 15 per cent of the con-
 sumers dollar was returned to the
 producer and S5 per cent of the dol-
 lar went into distribution costs. The
 first year showed reduction of It | per cent in cost to the New York l consumer and a 50 per cent in
 crease to the grower, This was
 typical of other markets.
 | For the first time in many years the peach grower recovered heart. Up to this time replantings had been
 at a standstill and hundreds of or chardists were grubbing out their
 trees providing they could afford it.
 Planting started timidly, but more
 important than all, the cutting down
 oe peach orchards ceased.
 Success From start
 | From the first marketing opera
 tions were a success. Not a pound l x1 fnr h a growers became assured. The sec
 ond year resulted in fraction over
 eight certs per pound being paid
 and this was gradually increased about two cents per year until this season, when the general recession
 in prices is effective and the grow CT will secure in the neighborhood | of 12 cents per pound for his prod uct.
 . Up to the time of organization, dried peaches had been sold.t to in- | dependent packers on speculation
 basis In good years these inter
 ests made a handsome profit and | seldom lost in others, but the general
 price to the grower remained about
 the same--as low as the speculator
 could get away with.
 On launching the association, five | DlanLS were III WltiSh
 packing opertions were carried on.
 These have been increased to 2S.
 either owner or leased by the asso-
 ciation. They are located dt stra- tegir points with an eye to :acill- tating the movement of the crop.
 The outlying plants are receiving
 stations where orchardists from given districts deliver their crops. From these stations the peaches are
 shipped to the packing plants after
 the individual delivery is graded
 and q receipt issued to the grower. | In handling the crop at the or
 chard there Is an advantage tha.
 makes tor decreased expense and in
 creased demand The peaches not picked until perfectly ripe, al- lowing the fruit sugars to come to full maturity. When picked they are l cnt in half and spread on trays to dry in the sun. This operation completed in about two weeks and | the dried peaches are then ready for
 delivery to the stations.
 | Up until the time of the associa-
 tion, many of the growers had to
 pick, dry and store the peaches un.
 til the Independent packer was
 ready to buy, resulting in many
 years in appalling losses. The or 1 ganizat:on changed this ald the
 task of moving the crop is under
 taken by the management of the
 marketing association.
 | When the growers of the state | first joined the association, they | signed contracts to deliver their
 peaches and if there was any fur
 ther profit in the operation of mar
 ketIng, 1t was to be pror:,:ed &C.,
 cording to tonnage delivered. This
 clause Is still in effect, and through efficiency and good business, sub
 stantia. Increases have been paid, Payments on Tonnage Basis All payments were on tonnage basis the first year. but the second year saw a widening of the field institution of premiums for high
 grade peaches. A growers bureau was organized to assist the orchard ist improve his crop which resulted
 in the bulk of the deliveries be- ing of the highest grades last year,
 This brought more money to the grower and helped make the Blue Ribbon dried peach, which was adopted as the association brand, the standby of the American house. wife. Up until the association wes orr ganized, no one interest had been strong enough or cared enough to popularize the California dried peach. A great many of the growers trou-
 bles were due to this, for no at tempt had been made to acquaint | the American housewife with the economical qualities, the food value and quality of the product Little | by little, by use of printers ink the gospel of the dried peach was | spread and demand increased apace. | Competing one against another in | trying to get a price for their fruit,
 the growers made no headway what
 soever in raising the standard of the 1 product This was changed with the associations advent. A small per centage on each pound is diverted to the association. which Is small for | each individual to contribute but It
 is through this fund that big projects have been carried on successfully. | The standard of the dried peach has
 been raised machinery for efficient
 handling has been introduced and plants surpassing anything hitherto
 attempted in sanitary arrangements
 have been erected. One striking
 step forward was the invention and | Introduction of a machine that "prac-
 tically peels" a dried peach. remov-
 ing fuxz. dirt and most of the skin
 leavins the fruit intanct. "Practi-
 cally peeled" peaches are in demand
 all over the world now and the as-
 sociation Is the only one that has | the process.
 Six years ago a peach orchard ir
 California was looked upon in the light oi a liability especially grow ing the freestone peach, which
 is almost exclusively a drying fruit l But thrnugh cn-oneration the neach