230 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MARKETING VEGETABLES AND SMALL FRUITS. 



J. V. BAILEY, NEWPORT. 



The marketing of vegetables and email fruits is a very important 

 part of a grower's business. With the competition we have to con- 

 tend with, it is very important that a man be able to dispose of his 

 product to the best advantage. The prices which we have to take 

 for our produce are not large, and a small variation one way or the 

 other may make the difference between profit and loss. Very few 

 who have not had the experience will understand the importance 

 of employing a good salesman. The farmer takes his grain to mar- 

 ket and gets the regular market price, or, if he does not consider 

 the price high enough, he may keep his grain till prices improve; 

 but this is not so with the truck farmer, whose goods are perishable 

 and whose market is comparatively local. He often finds the mar- 

 ket glutted; then, while the best salesmen are getting a low price, 

 the man who knows how to raise his produce and not how to sell it 

 runs a very poor chance. The discouraged feelings of a man who 

 is obliged to carry a load of vegetables home from the market is 

 really beyond description. 



It is of great importance that vegetables and small fruits be. 

 packed so as to have an attractive appearance. It is human nature 

 always to put the best foot foremost, and a market gardener is no 

 exception to this rule. While it is not best to cover up inferor 

 goods and sell them for the best quality, if there is an extra fine 

 tomato in a basket, it is generally face upwards on top. To give 

 packages of fruit and vegetables as attractive an appearance as 

 possible without deceiving the buyer should be the gardener's 

 aim. 



It will not do to use a package that is not popular in the market, 

 for as soon as a package becomes popular and the larger growers 

 are using it, buyers will not bother with any other kind. There are 

 several kinds of berry trays and crates used by the berry growers 

 in the vicinity of St. Paul and Minneapolis, but probably the six- 

 teen and twenty-four box cases gives the best satisfaction. 



Great care should be taken in the picking of berries. It is often 

 hot and dry during the berry season, and berries which are over- 

 looked by the picker sour before the next picking. This makes it 

 necessary to pick clean and to discard any which are not perfect, 

 for a few small berries may injure the sale of the whole lot. Hence 

 the necessity of hiring good pickers and not a lot of small boys. 



Peas and beans may be picked by the bushel and sacked up with 

 a bushel in each sack. This is much handier than carrying them 

 in a bushel basket. If they are to be used the next day and not 

 shipped, their appearance may be improved by washing them. 

 This gives peas a plump appearance and makes beans look fresh 

 and brittle, although they will not stand shipping in this condition. 



Although corn may be picked by the dozen, it is best to put an 

 experienced hand at this work, for it takes judgment and experi- 

 ence to pick corn so that it will satisfy a fastidious public. 



Greens and bunched vegetables should be well washed so that 

 they have a fresh and crisp appearance. 



