No. 4.] FKUIT CULTURE. 135 



fruits, which, if not soon disposed of, become unsalable'; 

 therefore very much depends upon the fruit offered for sale. 



Therefore, the first condition that confronts us is the 

 character and market value of the fruit. If those conditions 

 have been complied with, to which your attention has been 

 called in the raising of fruit, then we are prepared to pro- 

 ceed to the consideration of the best methods of placing that 

 fruit upon the market. 



This brings us to the question of packages in which to 

 transport our fruit to market, — a question that has very 

 much to do with the matter of profit or loss to the producer. 



The selling of fruit by the package instead of by the 

 pound or measure has been a source from whence fraud and 

 deception on the part of the producer have been met by dis- 

 trust and unl)elief on the part of the dealer and consumer, 

 to the ultimate loss of the producer. It has led to the 

 making and using of packages of all sizes and shapes, the 

 chief aim and purpose being to give the consumer the least 

 possible amount for his money, — in a word to cheat as much 

 as possible ; and to such an extent has this been carried on 

 that one manufacturer near me has made to order eigJd 

 different sizes of grape tills, also skin quarts and pints. 



I find that each fruit-producing section in our county has 

 some package peculiar to that section ; and while it is un- 

 doubtedly true that you must meet the demands of the 

 market using your fruit, I believe there is no necessity for 

 so many kinds. Some are better than others ; and action 

 should be taken by agricultural as well as horticultural 

 societies — for this is a matter that is of interest to shippers 

 of vegetables as well as shippers of fruits — to regulate the 

 size and kind of package, that this element of fratricidal 

 war between packages may cease to influence the market. 

 While it is right and proper to get the best price we can for 

 our fruit, let us be honest, and give full weight and measure. 



Now, among all these different kinds of packages there is 

 none, in my opinion, that meets the requirements of the 

 shipper of small fruits as well as the thirty-two-quart crate, 

 as quarts and oval pints fit equally well, and tills for grapes 

 make it available for that purpose, obviating the necessity 

 of having any other size of package. 



