Page 8 



BETTER FRUIT 



November, 1919 



A Properly Set Out Loganberry Yard. 



■which is about the last of July, the old 

 vines should be cut out and the new 

 canes trained up. The prunings from 

 the old vines are usually cut up with a 

 small disk harrow with enough weight 

 put on it to accomplish this purpose. 

 The old vines, when they are disposed 

 of in this way, make good fertilizer for 

 the soil, as well as being an economical 

 way in getting rid of them. 



With the demand for loganberries for 

 so many different purposes and the 

 world as a market for them, they are 

 destined to become one of the most 

 profitable of fruits if they are properly 

 planted and given the right kind of 

 care, which, it may be added, is far less 

 than is required to grow many of the 

 other fruits that do not produce as 

 much revenue. 



New Containers Save Michigan Grape Crop 



By a Michigan Grape Grower 



THE grape growers of the State of 

 Michigan, especially the section of 

 St. Joseph, Michigan, and Benton Har- 

 bor, rejoiced over the bumper grape 

 crop of this season. This year's crop is 

 lloked upon as the best crop since 1911, 

 all of the grapes being fully ripened 

 and fully flavored. The greatest prob- 

 lem which the grape growers had to 

 solve was the matter of getting a sufli- 

 cient number of grape packages for the 

 shipping of their big grape crop. The 

 package situation was a very serious 

 one and for a while it threatened many 

 a grape grower, the package manufac- 

 turers making only sufficient grape 



packages for a 70 per cent crop, as 

 forecasted. 



However, the old adage that every 

 cloud has its silver lining was truly ap- 

 plicable in this instance. A progressive 

 and far-sighted grape grower, Mr. Wal- 

 ter Donaldson, thought it a good idea to 

 press into use the universal bushel ship- 

 ping package, using the centerpost re- 

 inforcement. Most of the growers at 

 first scoffed at the idea and suggestion. 

 However, Mr. Donaldson felt that it 

 would pay to try it. 



A carload of grapes was loaded with 

 this new container with the centerpost 

 attachment, and the growers were star- 



Grapes in a Michigan Vineyard Packed in a New Way 



lied at the returns this car of grapes 

 Itrought them — $85 a ton as against if70 

 a ton for the same grapes when shipped 

 in jumbos. 



The growers were quick to see that 

 it was to their best interest to ship their 

 grapes in universal bushel packages, 

 using the centerpost to reinforce the 

 package, so as to bring the grapes in 

 perfect condition to destination. Every 

 available bushel basket that could be 

 found was filled with grapes. Several 

 cars of grapes were loaded with the 

 universal basket. 



In putting into service the universal 

 packages as grape packages, the entire 

 grape crop of Michigan was saved, and 

 many a grower is mighty thankful for 

 being able to get a supply of universal 

 packages. 



Again the fact demonstrates itself that 

 it pays to do things slightly different, as 

 the big returns received by Michigan 

 grape growers who tried the experi- 

 ment of shipping in the new basket 

 proved conclusively. 



The Gravity Conveyor 



If Isaac Newton could, without too 

 greatly inconveniencing himself, return 

 to old Mother Earth and visit the fam- 

 ous fruit packing district in Hood River, 

 Yakima and Bitter Root Valley during 

 a busy packing season and observe the 

 wonderful amount of work being per- 

 formed by his revelation, gravity, he 

 would be justified in remarking, "Well, 

 I'll be jiggered," or some other more 

 forceful exclamation of surprise. His 

 mind would revert back to the brief 

 space of two hundred years or more 

 and he would again visualize himself 

 under the old apple tree and see again 

 the apple descending and fall true to 

 the center of gravity. 



It is the same old gravity, not an 

 ounce greater, not an ounce diminished, 

 that is now performing such wonderful 

 work and bringing about such gratify- 

 ing results in the indoor transportation 

 and handling of this delicious fruit. 



Gravity, securely harnessed, and un- 

 der the control of a gravity ball-bearing 

 roller conveyor, is now performing all 

 of the hard, laborious work in the pack- 

 ing, warehousing and shipping of thou- 

 sands of cases of apples that are raised 

 and handled annually in this favored 

 district. 



Gravity literally takes most of the 

 Man-ual out of packing and warehous- 

 ing, conserving and releasing the avail- 

 able local labor supply for the many 

 other demands made on it during the 

 comparatively short harvesting season. 

 The filled open baskets or boxes are 

 placed on receiving portable sections of 

 the gravity conveyor and friction-free 

 are rapidly transported into the packing 

 room. 



Resting on sections of a gravity con- 

 veyor, the fruit is transferred and 

 packed into the empty cases. The filled 

 cases are then allowed to proceed on 

 the gravity conveyor, usually leading to 

 an automatic inclined elevator, released 

 to a gravity conveyor line on the upper 

 floor, and conveyed direct to the storage 

 pile. Portable sections are again used 

 to excellent advantage for transporting 

 cither to wagons or directly into cars. 



