222 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



matter as proper cleanliness, and by proper preparation of 

 the product before it is placed upon the market. Who 

 would think of offering for sale radishes all smeared with 

 mud. You would not be likely to succeed in selling a product 

 put upon the market in that condition alongside of a man 

 who had them cleaned up. A man who put a box of straw- 

 berries on the market so crushed that the juice is exuding 

 from the box could not expect to derive a larger price than 

 the man who was careful to have his berries in a good clean, 

 fresh condition. Not only is proper preparation in this line 

 very essential to success, but proper grading of the fruit, as 

 you know, is also highly necessary. The proper packing and 

 grading of the fruit has a great deal to do with the advan- 

 tageous sale of the product. I remember, as a boy, picking 

 strawberries for a man, and noticed then the difference in 

 the methods adopted by the growers. One man graded every 

 box of berries that went from his plantation. Another was 

 careless. The man who put his on in good condition never 

 had a glut in the market for his fruit. What would you 

 think if you went down to a grocery store and found the 

 groceryman had graded his box of oranges down to the size 

 of these apples ? In other words, that he had put small ones 

 in with the large ? Why, your first thought would be, "I 

 guess that fellow has been putting two or three boxes to- 

 gether so as to get a good price for them all." That is one 

 of the things we have got to be careful about. We may 

 be accused of doing the same thing. The consumer has just 

 the same right as we have to accuse the dealer. We should 

 be careful and do all that we can to put our products upon 

 the market in a way that will give this added attractiveness. 

 Tt helps the sale and helps us. Now it may be with small 

 fruit that it is just as advantageous not to put each size in 

 a package by itself. Last fall when I was up at the New 

 England Fruit Show, I had the great good fortune to see 

 the packing of apples there in barrels, — many of us who were 

 there probably saw the same packing. They were all No. 1 



