WINTER MEETING. 201 



I will also say that I never knew a man or woman to become an 

 expert in gathering or packing peaches or apples in one day, or in one 

 season. 



But to return to the packing table. Here again experience is nec- 

 essary for the best results. At least one person in charge should 

 know the proper size, shape and quality of fruit that should go into 

 each kind of package. Also the condition of it as regards ripeness 

 for a long or short shipment. AH the cull fruit should go into the cull 

 wagon. There are fruit-growers who lose more morty by shipping 

 cull fruit marked up as "No. 1" or "Fancy," than by tbe "middle man." 



The table described above will accommodate ten packers. 



If the fruit is reasonably good and the packers have had some ex- 

 perience, that number will put up a car-load of from 900 to 1,10U cases 

 per day. As intimated above, I prefer women for packers, young 

 women especially take a pride in making nice fruit look pretty in a 

 nice clean package. However, I have had some men that were adepts 

 in packing peaches. We find it profitable to keep an expert packer 

 constantly in charge at the packing-table with entire jurisdiction of 

 the packers. An elderly lady is usually best for this position. She 

 should be quick, alert, industrious, kind, but uncompromising. 



Boys and girls and older women soon learn to jespect the author- 

 ity of such a lady. 



Bach packer should be encouraged to put a private mark on every 

 package that they put up. 



If the system herewith outlined, or a better one is carried out, 

 the peach-grower of this part of the State at least will have not only 

 a pleasant business but a remunerative one, and the time is not far 

 distant when every city and town in the United States that has rail- 

 road communication may feast on peaches grown on the Ozarks. 



As intimated above, I have merely mentioned some of the differ- 

 ent processes to be gone through with for the purpose of bringing out 

 discussion on the handling of peaches, and yet the length of this 

 paper admonishes me to stop here without touching on apples. 



If our worthy Secretary will excuse the omission, and it is so re- 

 quested, I will promise to prepare a paper on the handling of apples 

 for the next meeting of our Horticultural Society. 



H. E. MosELEY, Olden, Mo. 



