140 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLlNOtS 



with this last and third requirement that our paper will deal: "Gath- 

 ering and Marketing of Fruits."' 



The old adage says "in peace prepare for war," so we begin in 

 April to make up our boxes for the small fruit, using the Halleck 

 box, made in St. Joseph, Michigan — five Swedish two ounce tacks 

 being sutiicient for each box. The crates (sixteen quarts), are made 

 at the same time, the boxes being placed in them each day as made, 

 and stored away in lofts. Each cjuart box and crate are stamped as 

 made. Our boxes are made by our hands, and also by those employed 

 at so much per thousand. For strawberries and blackberries we 

 greatly prefer the trays, as the fruit is far more showy and conse- 

 quently saleable in them, and then again, the cost is not so great. 

 We paint our trays on the outside a cherry red, and inside a lead 

 color, making them very attractive, and as they are always returned 

 we consider them a good investment. 



Our fruit is gathered as early as the dew in the morning will 

 allow, so that, being within one and one-half miles of town, we can 

 get a load to market by eight o'clock in the morning, repeating the 

 operation until the fruit is all gathered, delivered to our local com- 

 mission merchants, and shipped to our different consignees in the 

 numerous towns adjacent to us. A vigilant oversight is kept over 

 the pickers to see that they pick cleanly and do not pick unripe fruit. 

 Upsetting the boxes is a good way to make them careful, and if un- 

 ripe fruit is on the bottoin of the box, " dock them." In this way 

 the pickers exercise care and judgment, and purchasers soon find 

 that they can rely on the quality of fruit sold under your brand. 



A stand is made to receive the fruit as the pickers gather and 

 bring it in, each picker receiving a card designating the number of 

 quarts brought in, and at the close of the day's work, the tickets are 

 taken up, and a receipt given for amount due for day's work; pay-day 

 being Monday afternoons for the preceding week's work. 



We keep but little fruit over night, only that we are obliged to 

 ship by the early morning trains. Over-ripe soft berries we never 

 ship, great care being exercised not to send out or market anything 

 that would injure our reputation as reliable growers. The coming 

 season we expect to handle all, or nearly all, our strawberries in 

 trays. The pickers gather them in quart boxes, and when they are 

 brought to the stand they are emptied into trays, and all unripe 

 and defective berries taken out. 



One great cause for complaint is the rough usage our express 

 companies' employees give in handing the fruit. They are hammered 

 and jammed around until the juice is fairly made to stain the car 

 and express wagon. No doubt some blame lies at the door of the 

 shipper, for often the address of the consignee is anything but 

 plain. Let us see to it that our crates are plainly marked at end and 

 top, and then insist on careful handling by the common carriers. 



Respectfully submitted, 



FRANK M. DOAN. 



