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are sorted by women. We insist that the friiit be handled 

 with care both by pickers and sorters. One woman haa 

 charge over the other sorters. This woman also has charge 

 of the retail trade. The peaches are sorted so that most of 

 them are No. I's or No. 2's. However the very ripe ones 

 and the specked ones are sorted out, also the very large 

 ones, which are marked extras. Make the peaches the same 

 grade all through the basket. Toward the top place tha 

 red side of the peach up, and round the basket. A basket 

 finished off this way is pleasing to the eye. After the 

 peaches are sorted they are loaded on the wagon or wagons, 

 according to the number of baskets on hand. One 3 horse 

 wagon carries 386 baskets. This wagon was built specially 

 for hauling peaches. In the rush season it makes two trips 

 a day or rather in 24 hours to Springfield wholesale houses, 

 a distance of about ten miles. It starts about one o'clock A 

 M. and returns about 9 or 10 o'clock. The wagon is again 

 loaded and another team goes with it, returning in the even- 

 ing or night, according to the travelling. This time the 

 wagon is loaded by lantern light ready to start in the morn- 

 ing. 



Now we have gotten the peaches to the wholesale houses, 

 where they are sold on commission. Right here I want to 

 say a word about the wholesale men. We read so much in 

 the farm papers about the wholesale men, as if they wer^i 

 our enemies, trying to rob us, and so little about the help 

 they are to us. How could we handle our crops without 

 them? I consider the wholesale men my friends and help- 

 ers. If I did not have confidence in them I should want to 

 go out of the fruit business to-day. I believe that there are 

 just as upright, lionest men in the wholesale business as there 

 are in any other, raising peaches not excepted. Furnish 

 them witli the best of produce and they will be anxious for 

 your patronage, and get the best prices that they can for 

 you. Let us hope that occasionally, at least the farm papern 

 n^ay have a word of praise for the wholesalemen. 



At harvesting time a man has a great deal to look after, 

 and is very busy. The better his system, the easier and 



