240 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition. 



Packages for Canadian Cherries 



Edwin Smith, of the Dominion Fruit Division, Grimsby, Ont. 



WITH iihe progress beiag made towards 

 fruit pax^luijge standardization, we 

 see various districts holding up 

 their favorite package as standard for every 

 kind of frujt. After a few seasons the same 

 districts may be inclined to use an entirely 

 different package, and at the same tione 

 that they are tearing down their old 

 standards they will be clamoring to have 

 their new standards recognized. It is well 

 to change standards if occasion thoroughly 

 warrants it, for the best possiible package 

 for each kind of fruit needs to be used in 

 order that the growers may receive the 

 greatest returns and the consumer value 

 for his expenditure. But ibefore tstablish- 

 Ing standards, we sihould thoroughly test 

 packages in order to determine the one 

 best adapted to the local and market needs. 



rniring the past season, tests of this 

 nature were started with cherry packages 

 under the Precooling and Transportation 

 Praaifc of the Dairy and Cold Storage Com- 

 mis.sionpr, Mr. J. A. Ruddick. As to which 

 is the bes.t package for sweet and isour 

 cherry shipmeints, it has been a very un- 

 settled question in the various cherry dis- 

 tricts of Canada for a number of years. 

 British Columbia has been using tie 4- 

 basket plum crate largely for both sweet 

 and sour cherries, with some question as 

 to whether it was the best package they 

 could use. Ontario has ibeen using the 

 11-qt. basket for local shipments, and both 

 the 11-qt. and the 6-qt. Climax baskets for 

 distant shipments of sweet and sour 

 cherries. 



The intToduction of the strawberry crate 

 into w^estem districts for sweet cherry ship- 

 ments, and the unpopularity of the 4- 

 basket crate in the prairie markets, made 

 the cherry package problem very imsettled 

 especially from a British Columbia S'tand- 

 point. The object of the past season's tests 

 was to secure information that would lead 

 to a more standard package for Canadian 

 sweet and sour cherries. 



Sthipmente wene made in the following 

 ways: 



1. Sour cherries, warehouse pack, 6-qt. 



Climax basket. 



2. Sour cherries, warehouse pack, 4- 

 :basfcet plum crate. 



3. Sour cherries, orchard pack, 6-qt. Cli- 



max basket. 



4. Sweet cherries, warehouse pack, 4- 



ibaskot plum crate. 



5. Sweet cherries, warehouse pack, 24 



4-5-qt. Hallock strawberry crate. 



6. Swteet cherries, warehouse pack, 21 



full-pint Hallock Strawberry crate. 



7. Sweet cherriee, orchard pack, Wool- 



verton crate — ^3 6-qt. basket carrier. 



The cherries having the warehouse pack 

 were brought to the precooling plant and 

 packed, facing the tops of the ibaskets witli 

 stems underneath, as is the customary way 

 of packing cherries in British Columbia. 

 The orchard-packed cherries were put 

 directly in the shipping baskets by the jKlck- 

 ers as the fruit came from the trees, this 

 being the customary way of packing cher- 

 ries in the east. 



The tests with sour cherries were made 

 in Winnipeg and Brandon markets. The 

 cherries used were Early Richimonds, 

 picked and packed July 2nd and 3rd, pre- 

 cooled over Sunday, and shipped the fol- 

 lowing Monday by refrigerator freight. 



The average perce.ntage of all waste In 

 th« 4-,basfcet crates was '2.5%, mai^et con- 

 dition good. Average percentage of waste 

 In the 6-qt. baskets, warehouse pack, was 

 12.9%, with market condition good, while 



in the 6-qt. baskets, orchard pack, the per- 

 centage of waste was but 4.8%, with mar- 

 ket conditiion very good. The term "was-te" 

 included all discolored or injured cherries, 

 and although the percenitages seem high, 

 the fruit was really in splendid market con- 

 dition. 



Injures the Fruit. 



Thl« shows that repacking sour oherrdes 

 is very injurious to the fruit, and that those 

 put direcUy in the baskets from the trees 

 carried in much better shape than those 

 packed in the warehouse. There was not 

 much difference betweem the carrying 

 qualitieis of the two baskets when packed 

 the eam.e. 



The cost of the 4-basket crate and the 

 packing amounted to 21.3c per package, or 

 1.06c per pound of packed fruit (20 

 pounds of fruit per crate). The cosit of 

 package and packing of the 6-qt. basket 

 was 6.5c .per package, or .81c per pound 

 of fruit (8 pounds per basket). The cost of 

 the 6iqt. toasket, orchard pack, was 4c, or 

 0.5c per pound of fruit. 



The average sale prices of tihe packed^ 

 and unipacked 6-qt. baskets were the sajme, 

 this being further argument in favoff of 

 picking sour cherries directly into the ship- 

 ping baskets. The sales of the 4-basket 

 crate, warehouse-packed 6-qt. basket and 

 oTOhardipaofced 6-qt. basket were $1.46, 

 59.4c, and 59.4c; the average net returns 

 to grower were 85.1c, 35.7c, and 38.2c per 

 package, and 4.24c, 4.46c, and 4.78c per 

 pound. 



In addition to the good carrying features 

 and tlie net returns secured from the 6-qt. 

 basket, it may be stated that Winnipeg and 

 Brandon markets, as weU as other prairie 

 markets, find the 6-qt. the best seller for 

 sour cherries. As to repacking and facing 

 sour cherries, it is evident that this fruit Is 

 sucli that it does not pay. 



Sweet ciherries, such as the Black Tar- 

 tarian, Windsor, Smith's Bigarreau, will 

 carry well for six or seven days refrigerated 

 freigiht, as was shown in this shipment. 

 whicih incliuded Black Tartarians packed in 

 24 full pint strawberry crates, 24 4-5 qt. 

 strawibeirry crates, and in the 4-'basket 

 orate. Returns on the Woolverton crate 

 were secured from express shipments to 

 Winnipeg and Brandon. It is evident that 

 this package will carry satisfactorily on 

 long shipments. 



The net weights of sweet cherries In the 

 fuU-'pint strawberry crate, 4-5 qt. straw- 

 berry orate, 4-ibasket crate, and Woolverton 

 crate (three 6-qt. baskets), are as follows, 



in order of mention: 17 lbs., 24 lbs., 20 lbs., 

 and 24 lbs. The cost of package arid pack- 

 ing in order of mention: 32c, or 1.8c per 

 pound; 35c, or 1.4c per pound; 21.3c, or 

 1.6c per pound; and 24c, or Ic per pound. 

 The average sole price, In order of mention, 

 was $3.50, $4.00, $2.00 (esUmiated), and 

 $3j50. 



The average net returns that would have 

 been made to the grower in Grimsby, Ont., 

 after deducting all expenses, would have 

 been as follows: full pint strawberry crate, 

 $2.43, or 14.3c per pound; 4-5 qt. strawberry 

 crate, $2.75, or 11.5c per pound; 4-basket 

 crate, $1.31, or 6.5c per pound (estimated 

 from British Columibia Market Commis- 

 sioner's report for week of J\ily 10th, 1915) ; 

 Woolverton crate, $2.48, or 10.3c per pound. 



The full-ipdnt sitrawberry orate eeeims 

 to be the best package for sweet cherries Isi 

 prairie markets. It carries the fruJt well 

 in the shallow boxes, is the most i)opular 

 seller, and netted the Ontario grower 7.8c 

 more per pound than the 4-basket crate, 

 and 4c more per pound than the Woolverton 

 crate (6-qt. basket). A trial of this package 

 in the Montreal market sihowed thai It 

 would sell readily at $2.40 per crate, which 

 is very satlsifactory, considering that it was 

 its first appearance on that market. 



In conoluirfon it may be definitely stated 

 that the Britis.h Columbia grower is losing 

 money by picking his sour cherries in or- 

 chard boxes and repacking them in 4-bas- 

 ket crates. By using careful pickers the 

 fruit will carry far better and make greater 

 returns if picked directly in bhe 6-ctt. ship- 

 ping basket. 



There has been some disciission about 

 ibaskets not loading well in cars with re- 

 sultant loss from breakage. Our experi- 

 ence has been that baskets may be shipped 

 in cars as well as boxes if they are prop- 

 erly loaded and braced, leaving a space in 

 the centre of the car for that purpose and 

 bracing the load firmly and rigidly In the 

 saane manner that boxes are loaded in cars 

 tor sate carriage. In doing this our results 

 have shown 100%, free from breakage on 

 hauls of 1,500 miles and upwards. 



With sweet cherries we find that all pack- 

 ages are givitLg away before the full-pint 

 hallock strawberry crate in prairie markets 

 and that it has a promising future in east- 

 em markets for fruit stand trade. As this 

 package is used only with fancy cherri^, 

 such as Ijambert, Bing, Windsor or Royal 

 Ann, it must be remembered that to top 

 the market only first grade fruit should be 

 used and the boxes must be well packed, 

 facing all of the tops attractively with 

 stems imderneath. If the strawberry crate 

 is not to ibe used, the next best package at 

 present for prairie markets Is the 6 qt. 

 basket. 



. The Fruit Exhibit at the Canadian National 



T' 



I HE display of fruit at the Canadian Na- 

 tional ExMbition this year was, with 

 few exceptions, well up to the stand- 

 ard of other years. Tihe apple classes were 

 w^ell filled with no indication of the fact that 

 the commerolal crop is badly infected with 

 scab — a tribute to the skill of the exhiibltors. 

 The effect of the late season was more to be 

 seen with 'grapes than any other fruit, these 

 being at least two weeks behind other years 

 in maturity. The soft fruits were decidedly 

 watery and did not keep well. The worm, 

 humid weather at exhibition time also has- 

 tened decay, with the result that many of 

 the exhibits had to be removed some days 

 before the close of the fair. 



One of the most extensive exhibitors was 

 W. J. Farminger, of St. Catharines, who had 

 a large numibeT of entries in aipples, pliuns, 

 ipears and grapes. A. W. Austin, Port Dal- 



housie, had entries in a large niimber of 

 classes, especially in apples, plums and 

 and peaches. Prominent among the apple 

 exhiibltors was W. E. Weise, Orrying Place, 

 Ont; J. H. Homing and Bethanbreck Or- 

 chards, Ltd., of Waterdown. W. H. Bunt- 

 ing, of St. Catharines, an enthusiastic sup- 

 porter of the idea that fruit that is good 

 enough to ibox is good enough to wrap, broke 

 the ice by wrapping all the boxed fruit 

 which he exhibited. 



The apples on plates were judged by Prof. 

 J. W. Crow, of the O. A. C, and the fruit 

 in packages by Mr. P. J. Carey, of Toronto. 

 Mr. F. Clement, of the Vineland Horticul- 

 tural Station, placed the grapes and stone 

 fruits and E. F. Palmer, of Toronto, handled 

 the collections. 



The judges, while stating' that the quality 

 of the fruit exhibited reflected great credit 



