102 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



QUESTION BOX. 



In Charge of A. K. Gardner. 



Mr. Gardner : We have listened to these outside speakers 

 on various topics, we have had a chance to question them and 

 talk over many of the questions here, but there are many others 

 that we have not taken up and that we can take up now among 

 ourselves. Now we are all at home. At the Grange hall every- 

 body is able to get up and talk and give his views, and we 

 should do the same thing here. 



Question : I would like to call on you to answer question i . 



Mr. Gardner: I think that is not in the agreement, as I 

 understand it, to call on the chair. 



No. I. Who has found it profitable to pack the best apples 

 in boxes? I will ask Mr. Johnson to give his views. 



Mr. Johnson : Well, I will say that I never raised any apples 

 to pack in boxes. I think by all means it would be much more 

 profitable to pack the best quality apples in boxes. To give an 

 illustration, I was out in the country a few days ago, looking 

 over some orchards, and I came across some apples that were 

 very good in quality and looks, and I offered the man $2.75 a 

 barrel on the trees, to go out and pick them, and I would have 

 my apple shooks sent up and pack them in boxes myself. Well, 

 I took a sample of those apples down to the city, showed them 

 to some of the dealers, and I was offered $3 a box for every 

 box I could produce. Now there are practically three boxes to 

 a barrel. That would be at the rate of roughly $9 for what you 

 would pay $2.75. Of course you would have to take out the 

 expense of the box and your own labor. But I doubt if those 

 same apples were put in barrels you could get as much money for 

 them. And I think just a? soon as we put some of our fancy 

 quality apples in boxes we will get more money. 



Mr. : I had thirty-one barrels of apples this season, 



something entirely new to me. Being out of a job I wanted 

 something to do. I got thirty-one barrels. I packed eighteen 

 standard boxes for which I got $3.25 apiece. My boxes cost 

 me 18 cents in shook, and I packed the apples and wrapped each 

 one in paper, and sent them out the best I knew how. They 



