The Bulletin. 15 



rience in the successful production and marketing of fruits and vege- 

 tables is Mr. A. A. Boggs, of Waynesville, N. C. Mr. Boggs says: 

 "From an experience of twelve years as a shipper of fruits and vege- 

 tables, both from Florida and North Carolina, I can say without hesi- 

 tation that no grower can neglect to use standard packages for his pro- 

 duce unless he is willing to sacrifice the cream of the profits of his busi- 

 ness. I believe that, on the average, fruit and vegetables shipped in 

 anything but standard packages may be relied upon to sell for at least 

 thirty-three and one-third per cent less than the identical fruit would 

 sell for if properly packed in standard packages. It is not reasonable 

 that this should be so, but that does not keep it from being true." Still 

 another of our successful growers expresses the same idea. Mr. W. P. 

 Baugham, of Washington, N. C. : "When I first became interested in 

 trucking, the first thing I did was to adopt a full-size, standard pack- 

 age, as I wished to give full measure, 36 inches to the yard. The next 

 thing was to see that the goods to be packed were properly sorted and 

 graded. They were then packed, each package being entirely filled and 

 labeled. The labels bore the following : 'The contents of this package 

 are guaranteed to be uniform throughout, and we guarantee same to be 

 straight packed. The forfeit is the goods.' To this was added the name 

 of my farm and my own as proprietor. I always use this label in my 

 first-class goods. Any other grade is unlabeled and sells for what it 

 brings. I also mark No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 on each package, as the 

 case may be. As a result, I have no trouble to sell my produce on any 

 market without inspection." 



The above expressions of opinion go to show that it is not the buyer 

 or commission man who alone deems it important and necessary to care- 

 fully prepare produce for market, but growers, also, have found this 

 practice necessary to insure a profitable sale for their produce. Fruits 

 and vegetables well grown, carefully graded and packed in attractive, 

 uniform packages and properly labeled always find a sale on any market. 



APPLES. 



The state of maturity at which apples can best be picked depends 

 upon the varieties and the purposes for which they are intended. Sum- 

 mer varieties, for home use or for the local market, need not be gathered 

 until fully ripe. Fall and winter fruit, intended for the same use, may 

 be allowed to fully ripen, but should be picked before the mellowing 

 process begins. Summer, fall and winter varieties, for long-distance 

 shipment or for storage, should be gathered as soon as fully grown and 

 colored. The best time for harvesting each variety can only be deter- 

 mined by experience. Successful growers study their own local conditions 

 and observe the experience of others having similar environments. 



In gathering apples, either for market, storage or home purposes, it 

 is necessary to remove the fruit from the tree with a great amount of 

 care. As stated in the discussion. of picking, this work should always 

 be done by hand, and not in the careless, wholesale way of shaking, beat- 

 ing or knocking the specimens off with clubs or poles, as is the common 

 practice in certain localities. This latter method invariably results in 

 bruising and snagging the fruit, thereby damaging its keeping qualities 

 and destroying its general attractiveness. Growers need not expect 



