248 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



channels or direct from the grower. This trade will undoubtedly 

 grow, but probably uot out of proportion to the regular trade in 

 barreled aj)ples. Many dealers who formerly bought boxed apples, 

 because of the uncertainty of barreled fruit, are learning that there 

 are growers of apples whose brands can be relied upon, and are now 

 buying eastern grown apples in barrels. They can get an equal 

 value at a lower price. 



Do not understand me to say that I favor packing poor apples in 

 barrels, for I most emphatically do not. Poor stuff, barreled and put 

 up regularly on the market, in competition with good apples, has a 

 demoralizing effect on the whole market. The apple trade of the sea- 

 son of 1907-08 was a very good illustration of this point, where an al- 

 ready weak market was completely destroyed by being flooded with 

 thousands of barrels of poor apples. Similar conditions seriously hurt 

 the market the following season. In fact, certain sections have gained 

 such a reputation for barreling poor fruit that many years of fair deal- 

 ing will be required to set them right with buyers of apples. 



It is much better to sell these low gradas locally, if possible, to sup- 

 ply the small town trade from wagon, if the supply is small ; or, if the 

 quantity is great, sell to cannery, fruit evaporator, or cider-mill. If 

 none of these give a satisfactory outlet, load the second grade stuff 

 in bulk cars and ship in that way. In recent years the market for 

 bulk apples has come to be a regular thing, and much of the cheap 

 trade in the cities is supplied in that way, without adding cost of 

 barrel package. 



If two or more varieties of apples are to be shipped loose in the same 

 car, it is very important that they be divided by a wooden partition. 

 Attention to this point will often add one-third to the returns from 

 the car. 



The ideal solution of this poor grade problem is, of course, to grow 

 up no low grade fruit, and we have not secured the best that our busi- 

 ness affords until we have closely approached this ideal. Lack of thor- 

 oughness in the things we already know is the reason why most of 

 us fall short in this respect. 



In barrels, as in other packing, we should have in mind the safe und 

 satisfactory arrival of the fruit in the hands of the consumer or re- 

 tailer, not only its passage from our hands in exchange for a sum of 

 money. For, if we are in the fruit business to stay, either as grower 

 or dealer, no other kind of advertisement will go as far, or carry so 

 much weight, as well-graded and well-packed fruit, plainly branded 

 with the name and address of packer. 



Then let us see that the fruit is handled carefully. It is not always 

 possible for us to control this matter absolutely; but it should be 

 watched all along the line. 



Half -bushel, drop handle baskets, each provided with a light iron 

 hook to hang from ladder step or limb, will bruise the apples much 

 less than when picked into a bag. There are two reasons for this; 

 tirst, in the basket the apples lie where thoy fall, while in a bag they 

 are constantly moving over each other with every motion of the 

 picker's body, resulting in many slight bruises, not noticeable in many 

 varieties, perhaps never in Ben Davis; but in most kinds detracting 

 greatly from the appearance of the fruit after being stored a little 

 while. Then, nearly always a few apples in such bag are bruised be- 



