August, 1921 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 11 



Packing Fancy Northwest Peaches 



THE various varieties of peaches should 

 be picked at different stages of ripe- 

 ness, as weather conditions will modify the 

 time to some extent of picking even one 

 variety. Peaches should not be picked when 

 they are green, as the green peach is neither 

 a good shipper or a good keeper. To ship 

 and keep best the peach should be "just 

 ripe." 



In picking, pick with the hands and not 

 with the fingers. That is, the peach should 

 be grasped gently but firmly in the hand 

 and removed in a method that will not 

 bruise it. Not a mark should be left on 

 even the ripest peach and they should not 

 be poured from basket to box, but should 

 be handled like eggs. 



A well lighted and well ventilated part 

 of the packing room should be selected for 

 packing peaches, so that the packer may 

 easily see and lay aside any damaged fruit 

 that passes the sorters. It is well for each 



packer to have room for two boxes so that 

 two grades can be run at the same time. 

 The end of the boxes farthest away from 

 the packer should be raised about six inches. 

 Benches placed behind the packers to set 

 the packed boxes on until they are nailed 

 and placed in piles should be provided. 

 Peaches should never be packed when they 

 are warm and the greatest care should be 

 used in handling and hauling them for 

 shipment. The pack should be uniform 

 and the fruit absolutely free from blem- 

 ishes and fungus, and properly matured. 

 The pack, to secure the best results in ship- 

 ping, must be tight and up to, but not above 

 the end of the box. The sizes of the boxes 

 most largely used for peach packing in the 

 Northwest are 18 inches long, 11 J/^ inches 

 wide and 4 inches deep, and 18 inches long, 

 115^ inches wide and 4J/2 inches deep. 



Below will be found diagrams showing 

 methods for putting up fancy peach packs: 



o®o®o 



cmh 



7 )^( 7 )^( 7 



0X0X0 



pXD 



65— EXTRA FANCY 

 3.2 (7-6) PACK 



75— FANCY 

 3-2 (8-7) PACK 



90— CHOICE 

 3-3 (8-7) PACK 



Interesting and Valuable 

 Topics Discussed 



npHE summer meeting of the Washington 

 State Horticultural Association which 

 was held at Yakima, July 21 and 22 

 brought out an unusually large attendance 

 and the discussion of a unmber of interest- 

 ing and valuable topics to the fruitgrower. 

 One of these topics was in regard to the 

 value of oil paper as a fruit wrap, a subject 

 that was handled by D. F. Fisher, plant 

 pathologist with the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, whose experiments 

 led to the discovery of the great advantages 

 of this new wrapping material. Apples 

 wrapped with the oil paper were exhibited 

 by Mr. Fisher that had been left in a room 

 with ordinary ventilation and temperature, 

 that appeared almost as fresh as when 

 packed. While apples wrapped in the ordi- 

 nary wrapping paper and held in storage 



for the same length of time which were 

 exhibited, were badly decayed. 



Next to the importance of the oil wraps 

 being a great fruit saver was the statement 

 of Mr. Fisher that it costs only 3 cents a 

 box more to use the oil paper. 



In discussing the subject of cover crops 

 Roy Larsen, soil specialist of the Wenatchee 

 Experiment Station, strongly advocated 

 leaving orchards covered with vegetation 

 and even condemned the cutting of alfalfa 

 planted in orchards as inimical to the best 

 soil conditions for fruit trees. In supporting 

 his views he referred to the Wenatchee 

 district where growers he said had virtually 

 abandoned clean cultivation and yet were 

 producing larger yields of apples than 

 formerly. 



R. J. Newcomer, of Yakima talked on 

 the value of the calyx spray while Dr. A. L. 

 Melander of Washington State College, 

 spoke interestingly on the methods of com- 

 batting the leav roller. P. S. Darlington, 

 horticultural inspector, discussed collar or 

 crown rot and C. DeVere talked on the 



development of water transportation. 



As an outcome of the prevalence of col- 

 lar rot in the Yakima valley the association 

 made a unanimous request to the Uhited 

 States Agricultural Department to send an 

 expert to Yakima to study this disease. 

 Owing to the keen interest in the meeting 

 this year, M. L. Dean secretary of the as- 

 sociation announced that next year Wena- 

 tchee and Yakima would each have a two 

 day session of the association. 



Procedure to Protect 

 Oregon Apples 



A PROCEDURE to protect the reputa- 

 -'-*- tion of Oregon apples for excellence 

 that will interest the fruit growers and 

 shippers of the Northwest has just been in- 

 stituted by the Federal Trade Commission. 

 Upon an application for the issuance of a 

 complaint the Federal Trade Commission, 

 as required by law, has cited the Caraval 

 Company, Inc., an exporting company in 

 New York City, to appear before it on a 

 charge of unfair competition in foreign 

 commerce. 



The complaint recites that in the State 

 of Oregon certain apples are grown which 

 have become well known as "Oregon New- 

 town Pippins" and which have acquired a 

 reputation of superiority for shipping and 

 keeping qualities for export purposes. 



The complaint further recites that in re- 

 sponse to an order from Aktiegolaget Half- 

 dan Buhrman, an apple dealer in Stock- 

 holm, Sweden, for "Oregon Newtown Pip- 

 pin" apples, the Caravel Company shipped 

 to this firm 2,000 boxes of other apples 

 with the knowledge that these apples were 

 not the Oregon apples ordered, invoiced the 

 apples as "Oregon Newtown Pippins," and 

 received for the shipment the higher price 

 commanded by Oregon apples. When the 

 shipment arrived, the apples were spoiled. 



The commission avers that this conduct 

 has the capacity and tendency and does in- 

 jure the business of other apple growers 

 exporting apples from the several states who 

 maintain selling grades, and discredits in 

 foreign markets the good name and business 

 reputation of competing American export- 

 ers and of American products. 



Complaint is filed by the commission 

 after preliminary informal inquiry made 

 upon the suggestion of the Department of 

 Commerce. The filing of the complaint 

 and the citing of the Caravel Company to 

 appear and make answer initiates a pro- 

 ceeding to try out in a formal way the 

 questions raised by the complaint, this in- 

 cluding the examination of witnesses under 

 oath and introduction of testimony on both 

 sides. The hearings will commence on 

 August 31, or a date to be later announced. 



Now is a good time to make a survey of 

 your apple and pear harvesting equipment. 

 Don't wait until it is time to pick the fruit. 



