472 



BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



cold storage with the object of resorting them. I have found that if we 

 shipped out a barrel of apples from cold storage that were sorted in 

 the packing house, to the groceryman, and there happened to be half a 

 dozen rotten apples, he would dock us from fifty cents to a dollar and a 

 half on the barrel. They would tell us that the apples were in a very bad 

 condition. Now I never let the apples go out until they have been sorted 

 and when they go to the gi'oceryman and he talks about there being rot- 

 ten apples we know what kind of a man he is. We think it pays us to 

 do this. If you do not the grocer5' man will take advantage' of you and 

 try to dock you if there are only a few rotten ones in the bunch. 



Now as to packing in boxes or barrels. There are advantages and 

 disadvantages in packing in boxes. I think it is an advantage when you 

 have a very superior quality of fruit early in the year. At the fall pack- 

 ing time we come in contact with the apples from Michigan that sell 

 for from one dollar to one and one-half dollars a barrel. We know that 

 we can not compete with these prices. So the first thing I do is to ship 

 my apples to cold storage, and after the other apples are off of the market 

 I sell mine and get good prices for them. The apples that we would have 

 to sell from one and one-half to three dollars per barrel we can get five 

 dollars for when we take them out of cold storage. We have too many 

 apples to compete with at that time. And with cold storage we now 

 have a facility for taking care of our fruit and demanding better prices. 

 I have this to say in regard to packing apples in boxes. I requires an 

 expert to pack them. I u.sually ship my Yellow Transparents in boxes. 

 They will bring from a dollar to a dollar and a half for a three-peck box. 



For gathering apples that we can not reach from the ground I use 

 a step ladder eight feet high, which is wider at the bottom than it is at 

 the top. We use this ladder when we can not reach the apples from the 

 ground or the platform of the Avagon. 



Walter Smith: How can you get such a wagon under the tree? 



Mr. Zion: We run them under just as far as we can. I have a Sagi- 

 naw handy wagon. I could not get along without it. 



Mr. Bm-tou: Do you have springs on the wagon? 



Mr. Zion: Yes, sir, of course we have springs. We load them down 

 with apples too. 



Mr. Swnim: Do you get more money lor your fruit in boxes according 

 to the bulk than you do in barrels? 



Mr. Zion: Yes. but there are exceptions. It is nice to talk about box- 

 ing apples but it is not so easy to do. It almost takes an expert to pack 

 m boxes. We should pack nothing but fancy fruit in boxes— those that 

 have a nice color. In some regions it is necessary to use potash to get 



