78 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The apples are, for the most part, packed in the orchard, 

 although some are using a central packinghouse, and they find 

 it successful. The fruit is packed immediately after picking. 

 After packing it is drawn to the cold storage or car, in gener- 

 al, the pack of one day being in storage the following day, at 

 least. 



Methods of Selling. 



If the market is strong, much of the fruit is sold by the 

 farmers before harvest. The sales are based either on a 

 packed barrel or on a barrel of tree run fruit. Under the 

 fruit method the grower packs his own fruit ; under the sec- 

 ond the grower picks the fruit and puts it on the sorting ta- 

 ble, but the buyer does the work of sorting and packing. This 

 last method has grown in favor during recent years. In some 

 sections fruit is still sold in bulk for everything on the trees. 

 Other growers dispose of their apples at so much per one 

 hundred pounds. 



Very few attempts have been made yet to do any co-op- 

 erative selling. Buyers have been too plentiful and compe- 

 tition too keen to stimulate any movement looking toward 

 co-operation. As a result, all kinds and grades of packing 

 will be found. As long as the farmer is not ultimately con- 

 cerned with the selling, the grades of packing will be unev- 

 en, irregular, and will average poor. I am glad to say that 

 there are some fine exceptions to this rule. Practically no 

 fruit picked is packed in boxes. The barrel is still our 

 standard package and will continue to be for some time to 

 come. 



And thus I come to the end of my subject. I reaHze 

 how imperfectly the matter has been treated. No doubt 

 many points have been omitted with which you are vitally 

 concerned. But briefly we have considered a little of the 

 historv of the apple industry in the Empire State. The 

 methods of planting and caring for a young orchard were 

 also discussed, and in the last place we have called your at- 

 tention to the care of a bearing orchard. 



