No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 635 



proper form, and the use of wide-wheeled wagons, which are highly 

 efficient in maintaining it in good shape. The farm road is often 

 used as much or more than the public road, and if it is in poor shape, 

 every load that is hauled over it is limited. A laige load over a good 

 road can be hauled just as cheaply as a small load on a poor road. 

 By the use of these ideas, all of them quite simple and within reach 

 of anyone, this grower saves literally hundreds of dollars each 

 year. 



The importance of good public roads in reducing the cost of 

 marketing cannot be over-emphasized. The producers to the south 

 of Butfalo have the advantage of brick pavement in two directions 

 for eight and twelve miles, respectively.. The growers in other 

 sections that do not enjoy these advantages should make their de- 

 mands heard, and in course of time the problem is sure to be solved. 

 Another factor of great importance in making possible satisfactory 

 marketing conditions is the market wagon itself. It should, in the 

 first place, be well planned. It should accommodate the different 

 types of packages that aie used without waste of space. This ren- 

 ders the determining of measurements somewhat of a puzzle, but 

 can usually be worked out to good advantage. Convenience in load- 

 ing and unloading should be very carefully considered. Time is 

 precious when sales are being made, and the salesman-driver cannot 

 afford to use many minutes in rummaging around among his load 

 or in re-adjusting it every time anything is taken out. The wagon 

 should be xevj substantially built. It will be called upon to stand 

 a great deal of lough usuage. The market gardener, Avith his load 

 of perishable produce worth anywhere from fifty to two hundred 

 dollars, cannot afford a wreck, and a single accident may cost more 

 than enough to secure the very highest grade of wagon. The auto 

 truck is now thoroughly established as a practical form of equip- 

 ment for the large producer. It requires feed only when it is work- 

 ing, and has been developed until it is thoroughly reliable. Market 

 gardeners and fruit men are using the trucks in increasing numbers 

 each year. 



The packing house is an important factor in the economical 

 preperation of produce for market. It may be simple, consisting of 

 no more than an open air shed, or it may be large and complex, pro- 

 viding facilities for washing, grading, packing, loading and storing 

 In any case, the straight line principle of operation should be ob- 

 served, that is, produce should come in at one side or end, and should 

 progress through the house as it is worked over. You cannot afford 

 to have your workmen sorting out the graded from the ungraded, 

 and climbing over a stack of empty packages to take the finished 

 ones to the loading platform. This is very well illustrated in the 

 celery house which is represented in the diagram. 



The packing house of the market gardener should be light, and 

 very careful provision should be made for sanitation. Much water 

 is ordinarily used, and the floor should be of cement with adequate 

 drainage facilities. Light should be abundant, as it is often neces- 

 sary to work late, and it is not desirable to have recourse to artificial 

 lighting. 



In the preparation of most crops for market, it is necessary to 

 handle individual fruits or vegetables. This work offers opportun- 



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