PEACH 



tickets of same numT)er; one of these tickets is placed 

 in the bottom of each basket as lie begins to fill it, so 

 that when any basket reaches the assorting table and 

 proves not to be up to the standard, the inspector of 

 grading is notified, the ticket number given to a field 

 inspector, who on horseback gallops away to tone 

 up the careless pickpr. Pirkinu- ::.Mi) bushels or more 

 of Peaches in a >\-Ay. ir i< |...~vil,lr M any time to 

 locate the picker ..f . \ , ly l.:i-k.i. 'I'liN frroat orchard 

 is all blocked off bv hv.hu. - nuiniii- ii"i-tli and south 

 every 500 feet inlu ai.<.ut IL' ariv tracts, with cross 

 streets every 1,000 feet, so that 2.')0 feet is the greatest 

 distance from any tree to an avenue of travel. Each 

 picking gang has its required number of '" basket boys " 

 and "toters," who keep the gang supplied with empty 

 baskets, and "tote" the full baskets to the avenues, 

 where they are loaded on broad, low-down wagons, hold- 

 ing about 80 baskets, and hauled to the packing house, 

 which is a two-story building 40 x 112 feet. The sec- 

 ond story is used for storage of crates and baskets, all 

 labeled and finished for immediate use, while the first 

 floor is a platform 3 feet high, sides open all around 

 but protected from sun and rain by a lean-to shed about 

 it, under which the wagons drive as they come from the 

 fields with the fruit. 



Two wide packing benches run the entire length of 

 the shed; through the center of these benches, raised 

 nearly a foot, runs a line of canvas trays or pockets, 

 about 18 inches wide, and divided into sections about 

 every 2 feet. Along the outside of these benches, with 

 room enough back of them to receive the fniit 

 from the wagons, stand the graders— bright 

 young men and women from the best white fam- 

 ilies of the South. There is room enough on the 

 sides of the bench, in front of the canvas trays, 

 for a row of picking baskets, filled with the 

 fruit just as it came from the tree. With one or 

 two expt-rt L'laili IS al"ii^' this lirn- to instruct in 

 the work aihl i-^n^i .|iiiiitly kr<|, ii toned up, the 

 sound fniit IS a--iiin a (In.ii fivni the picking 

 baskets intn Thtrf si/,.s: rxrras, No. I's and sec- 

 onds, all carefully placed in the canvas trays in 

 front. Overripe and bruised fruit goes in baskets 

 at the feet of the grader and finally reaches the 

 evaporator, while the decayeil or othrrwisc worth- 

 less fruit goes to the dniiili :iin! i- .1- -troyi'd liy 

 fire. On the oppositi' s|,ir .! i':- |. ■, 'i f;i,-iiig 

 the graders, stainl tin ]':ii I r room 



enough on the ediri- 'if tin i : ! of the 



trays for the 6 bask.r i-aii;' t- i- -uumI l-it^tli- 

 ways (this carrh-r ti'Hii I'liu ^ xp, liL-iice liavin' 

 been found to be tIm i>ni 1m ^r ;iii(l most profii 

 able package to li^ihli.- :1m s..iitlic'rn Peaches). 

 Removing the top layn-s .,f l.askits and division 

 trays, the bottom tier of baskets is quickly and 

 firmly packed solid full of whatever standard 

 size "fruit happens to be in the trays in front of 

 each packer. The division rack and t..p tier of 

 baskets are then replacrd, and filled in the aamv 



uniform way. Instructors and ins| tcirs of 



packing are constantly ^vnikiin; u]> and d"wn the 

 line, encouraging' ami assi.tin'.' in the work, so 

 that uniform resnlts niav 1..- s. .ured. 



As 



end of t 

 to kno\v 

 either i 

 if poorl 



sight. 



PEACH 1235 



on top of the crates at each end and are lightly nailed 

 down. Tier upon tier is l.iiilt up in this way, either 5 

 or 6 crates lii.k. iin'il ih. .ar is full. Spacing of the 

 crates and th. ! vides space for cold air 



around each ,1 t, . In dry seasons, when 



fruit is free i- ..i -. 1 1 1 1 s , cars as now constructed 



can with satei\ t..- lo;idfd o crates high, but in wet sea- 

 sons, with ret ).]■. valeut, they arrive in market in much 

 better enl.r when K.aded only 5 high. Besides the ori- 

 ginal ieiiiL-, wliK h requires 4-6 tons to a car, a re-icing 

 after heading takes 1-3 tons, depending upon how 

 long the car is loading. In going to New York, cars are 

 re-iced at Atlanta, Charlotte, N. C, and Alexandria, Va., 

 and if to New England points again at Jersey City. 

 For Chicago and the Northwest, they are re-iced at At- 

 lanta, Cincinnati or Louisville. A car will hold 525-650 

 crates, according to the size of the car and whether 

 loaded 5 or 6 crates high. Handled along best modern 

 lines, with careful inspectiou from start to finish, it 

 costs, inehnlitiL' freight and all incidental expenses, 

 from 'J(l to L's e, nts to take Peaches ripe from the tree 

 and pl.ee till 111 111 ilie car. Freight averages about 42 

 cents 111 tlie\;inous northern markets, refrigeration 13 

 cents, cartage :; ,-, nts, and comniissien 7-10 per cent of 

 gros 



arket a ci 

 six 4-quart baskets. H 

 $1.50. a little sells as 

 siderable is sold at les 

 25 cents : this, of conn 



olding 

 t$lto 



^•ivrd tips appearing ; 



Left-hand specimen shows two snialM 

 October, 2 or 3 of the normal leaves still 

 The middle specimen shows numerous tips appearing iu August. 

 Right-hand specimen is a healthy twig, for comparison. P. 1231. 



. net full enonudi. or in any way defec- 

 <-k to the jiacker to be righted. Some 

 packers will not put up more than 40 or 50 crates per 

 day, while very expert ones put up as many as 150 and 

 iu some cases 200; while the average is from 75 to 80 

 crates per day when the work is done under the most 

 careful inspection. The name of the variety and grade 

 of fruit is stenciled on the cover, as it is nailed on, and 

 the packer's number is penciled on the red label, on 

 each end of the crate ; then away to the car. Here, 

 placed side by side about 2}4 inches apart across the 

 car, it takes 7 crates. Then two strips of inch-square 

 staff, just long enough to reach across the car, are put 



Sales at anything above $1 per crate can be counted in 

 towards cost of production and as profit, j jj jj^^e. 



Peach Culture in the Fak North. — Having tasted 

 Peaches that were thoroughly ripened on the tree, the 

 writer became very desirous of growing this fruit at his 

 home iTi nertlieni Vermont, and knowin:; tliat tlie fruit 

 buds <d' til.' r.iM li tree are not of suflieient liardiness to 

 endiiie ilio ri-or ..f this climate without tiroL-.tion. he 

 exereis.,1 liini-elf for .some cheap and elfe.-tiv way to 

 cover them. He remembered that when a hoy his father 

 had some Peach trees near the house that had been al- 

 lowed to branch at about a foot from the ground. One 



