Two loads of peache* make a beautihil 

 sight in the orchard of H. H. Thumess & 



Son. near Centralia. Loaders are Verlin 

 Fouts and Lyman Moore. 



Woman power runs most oi the peach 

 packing sheds. Left to right: Mrs. Lou 



Beadle, Mrs. Ora Thumess, Mrs. 

 Moore and Miss lewel Thumess. 



Loren 



/7// - *7tme lleco/id 



PEACH 

 CROP 



AN all-time record for the Illinois 

 Fruit Growers Exchange in mar- 

 keting peaches appears to have been es- 

 tablished in the 1944 season just com- 

 pleted with an estimated volume of 

 150,000 bushels. This compares with 

 36,000 bushels during the short crop 

 year of 1943, and 67,000 bushels in 

 1942. 



This volume of marketing was made 

 in the face of wartime difficulties such 

 as truck, labor and basket -shortages. 



There were fewer trucks to move 

 the crop in 1944 than in 1943 and 

 there were more breakdowns on the 

 road, L. L. Colvis, director of fruit and 

 vegetable marketing for the lAA re- 

 ported. In spite of this situation, 50 

 per cent of the peach crop moved by 

 trucks. In addition the Exchange han- 

 dled about 250 cars of peaches by rail. 

 Here again, labor shortages were noted 

 and as a result railroads found it diffi- 

 cult to furnish iced cars. 



The job of picking and packing the 

 crop was largely achieved through lo- 

 cal help working extra long hours. 

 Drouth conditions that destroyed other 

 crops in southern Illinois made it pos- 

 sible for more farmers to help out with 

 the peach harvest and their help was a 

 saving factor. 



The labor situation also was aided by 

 the Victory Farm Volunteers and Ja- 

 maicans. At Centralia, 185 boy VFVs 

 were housed and fed in the Centralia 

 High School and made up 13 teams 

 that worked in orchards. At Salem, 84 

 boy VFVs made up 6 teams that were 

 housed and fed in the Salem High 

 School. There also was an Illinois- 

 Missouri adult labor camp set up at 



Harold Moore, water boy, is a welcome 



sight to thirsty pickers in the orchard such 



as Bernard Drees. 



1 r 



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16 



L A. A. RECORD 



