10 The Bulletin. 



age; they go to market, are exposed for sale, a buyer purchases them 

 and upon examining the contents finds he has received full value for his 

 money. He immediately looks to see where the product came from and 

 by whom packed. The next time he has to purchase this same product, 

 whether the same season or the next, he looks for this brand. Thus the 

 label has accomplished two purposes : it has been a guarantee and has 

 served as a means of advertising. 



There are two styles of labels used in marking fruit and vegetable 

 packages, the ordinary stencil or stamp, and the one printed on paper 

 to be pasted on the package. The former usually has the name of the 

 variety contained, where, and by whom grown. The latter, in addition 

 to this, may be made up in colors and have a picture of the kind of 

 produce for which it is to be used. Either style is good, but with con- 

 ditions as they exist to-day, the neater and more attractive the label, the 

 quicker it catches the eye of the public, and as a result the more ready 

 the sale, particularly when the produce is in first-class condition. The 

 one thing to be avoided in labeling any fruit or vegetable package is the 

 placing of a label for first-class or "fancy" grade produce on a package 

 containing second-class or inferior grades. Practices of this kind will 

 invariably result in a loss of both money and reputation. 



PACKAGES. 



The fruit and vegetable package of to-day is an influential factor in 

 the produce business. Many growers do not consider the relation the 

 package bears to the selling value of their products. In fact, few people 

 realize the full significance of the American package as used in all 

 branches of trade, particularly those engaged in the handling of farm, 

 garden and orchard products. It has only been within recent years that 

 the individual consumer could carry fruits and vegetables home in the 

 packages in which they originally reached market. The small package 

 is gaining favor every day. Its development has been brought about 

 by brisk competition resulting from the ever increasing demands of the 

 public. Fig. 3 shows packages of this type as they reached market. 



Modern packages are characterized by neatness, lightness, cheapness 

 and uniformity. The sale of products largely depends upon the appear- 

 ance of the packages in which they are contained. Attract the attention 

 of the buyer and the bargain is half made. It is always advisable to 

 have a sufficient supply of new packages on hand at the beginning of 

 the shipping season. Never use packages in which fruit or vegetables 

 have previously been marketed. Their general appearance is most often 

 decidedly unattractive and the wood is usually impregnated with spores 

 of numerous moulds and rots from the produce formerly packed in them. 

 Eapid decay almost always develops in fresh produce coming in contact 

 with this infected wood. If, at the close of the season, a number of 

 unused packages remain, they should be stored in a clean, dry place 

 where they will be protected and their general attractiveness retained 

 until the next season. Fruits and vegetables may be of the best quality, 

 but if put into dirty, unattractive packages they seldom, if ever, find 

 a ready sale. 



On account of the perishable nature of fruit and truck crops, they 

 must be handled and transported as rapidly as possible. This and the- 



