142 3Iississippi Valley Horticultural Society. 



Apples should never be poured in a barrel loose, as they shake around in 

 the barrel and open up slack lilled, bruised and unsalable. A very little 

 pains in packing adds much to selling of your fruit. To illustrate : A party 

 shipped us four barrels of Maiden's-Blush, in sugar barrels, poured in loose. 

 When received they were badly bruised, yet showed that it had been fine 

 fruit. A price was placed upon it, but it was rejected as not being 

 worth the money. After standing around all day it was rolled into the 

 house, carefully assorted and repacked in ordinary apple barrels. After 

 throwing out the bruised and discolored fruit, there was enough to fill four 

 ordinary barrels, which were put on sale the next morning and were taken,, 

 in a short time, at one dollar per barrel advance of what was asked when re- 

 ceived. The work of repacking was the work of about thirty minutes. I 

 wrote the party, complaining of his packing, and his excuse was he did not 

 have time; yet we made four dollars U)Y him in thirty minutes. Now I 

 don't know what he was engaged in, but if he could make more than four 

 dollars in thirty minutes it must have been profitable work. 



A case, almost similar, occurred only last week. I might say, though, we 

 do not make a practice of repacking our shippers' fruit, but sell it for what 

 it will bring in the condition in which it is when put up. 



Fruit, poured into a barrel, all varieties mixed together, only shows a slov- 

 enly and unprofitable way of doing business; and a man so shipping seldom 

 realizes what he expected for his fruit. 



Another radical evil we have to contend with is dishonest packing. The 

 fruit is put up with every evidence of being line stock ; but after taking about 

 a half bushel out of the barrel, it only reveals the deception, and is not worth 

 one-half what the first impression would convey. To such an extent is this 

 practiced, in apples especially, that in many markets it is hard to go and buy 

 an honest car of fruit. Some States, however, seeing the injurious effect of 

 such practices, have been grading their fruit into firsts and seconds. Fruit, 

 so packed, meets with ready sale at good prices. This practice is becoming 

 quite common in Michigan, and should be followed by all other States. 



I know of but one way to remedy the evil, and that is for commission men 

 receiving such stock to sell at the i)rice of the lowest grade, and when the 

 shipper learns that deception is a losing game he will discontinue it. Much 

 of this fruit, however, has been purchased by innocent parties, and they are 

 compelled to carry out the deception or lose money. 



It also has a bad efifect on the market, not only in creating tlistrust, but 

 largely diminishes sales. Parties who retail such fruit say they invariably 

 lose money. They find after selling out a i)art of a barrel the fruit is so in- 

 ferior that their customers will do without before paying even cost price, 

 and in this way consumption is largely reduced. This deccjition is not only 

 in apples, but is practiced in other fruits, especially bo.x: fruits. 



I believe the horticultural interests of this great Mississippi Valley de- 

 man<l of this Society a severe rebuke on all <lccej)tion, and that we should 

 u.se our l)est endeavors to remedy this evil, and wbrn it is done, Mr. Presi- 



