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BY LEWIS A. REISNER 



Field Editor, lAA RECORD 



A GOOD sized crop of peaches — but 

 not a record breaker — moved or- 

 derly from southern Illinois or- 

 chards to market through the Illinois 

 Fruit Growers Exchange at Carbondale 

 during early August harvest seaspn. 



With a wind storm lashing through 

 orchards in midst of peach harvest 

 causing loss through windfall and 

 limb-rub. estimates were lowered from 

 the eafly season 1 million bushel fore- 

 cast, and the 19-46 peach crop was 

 placed at 800,000 by growers and buy- 

 ers. 



This meant a tot.d harvest of about 

 half last year's record crop of 1,600,000 

 bushels. 



Most housewives at such markets as 

 Danville, Decatur and Rockford were 

 buying peaches hauled from orchards 

 by trucks, as about half the crop moved 

 to market in this fashion. 



Remainder of the crop was shipped 

 to the large terminal markets, like Chi- 

 cago, in pre-cooled. refrigerator cars 

 and sold to distant city buyers. 



Growers were able to bring in the 

 harvest with local help as evidenced 

 by neighbors helping Raymond "Buck" 

 Moniger at his packing plant next to 

 an orchard on his 400 acre farm south 

 and west of Carbondale near Murphys- 

 boro. 



It was 9 at night. Lights were burn- 

 ing. Packing crews were finishing a 

 long, hard day. 



There was a thread of good natured 

 joking, not a little at the expense of 

 the boss himself, big, easy going, good 

 natured Moniger, as the crew packed - 

 his 6000 bushcU peach" crop. 



"This is the sight we wait all year 

 to see. We don't mind the long hours 

 during the packing season," he said. 



"HtUIT EXCHANGE 



BEST MARKET" 



Pi<ker>, mostly local help, work long hours 

 in hot orchards, earn good wages, work by 

 hour or bushels picked. They pluck golden- 

 red peaches from tree, place them in can- 

 vas bags. 



because these few days art the rewarii 

 for a season's work, expense .md wor- 

 ry" 



He explained the packing process. 



The peaches pass on roller belts 

 through a defuzzing machine that rubs 

 the fuzz from the fruit and a.t the same" 

 time dusting them v. ith .i mild pre- 

 servative powder. 



Peaches then move slow ly up an in- 

 cline where defectives are picked out 

 as well as the average sized peach few 

 the particular pack being crated. 



The peaches then pass over spaced 

 rollers, the smaller, undersized ones 



drupping tlirougli. 



Since Moniger's were packing two- 

 inch. No. 1 peaches at the time, the 

 rollers were set at a distance of two 

 inches — hence the name of the grade- 

 No. I. two-inch. - , 



Buck is enthusiastic about the Ex- 

 change. . We joined when they first 

 moved to Carbonilale. About ten- or 

 eleven years ago. • 



' Thev sell all our peaches. It's the 

 best m.irket we'\e foun^ and *eVe 

 tried them .ill. " 



He huvs all his supplies directly or*" 

 indirectly from the Exchange Supply • 

 Companv and shares in the patYonage » 

 dividendv. ^ 



They v'e made good money during 

 the last fixe or six years but they're .not 

 forgetting thiT peaches dipped to 2''c 

 a bushel in -the grim early '50's. 



They certainly wxiuld not recom- 

 mend the wave of speculation that fol- 

 lowed the last war. 



"Fvei-vone rushed in. Doctors.', law- " 

 yers,' everyone. " one grower recpl- 

 Jected. "And just offhand, they lost 

 , their shirts. " 



Present experienced growers may be>' 

 setting out new orchards, hut only to 

 replace old one's, or to give a son a 

 start. ' 



Few are overly optimrstii. just hop- « 

 ing for a fa'ir, steady market, with a 

 gradual decline from today's high 

 kvel. * -^ 





irmers 

 I) and 



Emiie Vancil, Exchange secretary, checks 

 receipts with platform salesman Lowell 

 O'Neal. Peaches are sold from loading 

 platform by bushel or truck-lead lots. Sales 

 were brisk. 



Thomas brothers rest after bringing in 

 wagon load of peaches from field to pack- 

 ing shed on father's farm. They're part- 

 ners with father, C. J. Thomas, successful 

 Carbondale orchardist. 



Packers sort, remove defective peaches. 

 Fruit moves by belt and roller through 

 defuzzing machine, over sorting rollers, 

 into market basket, lost job is to ring-top, 

 deliver to market. 



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SEPTEMBER, 1946 



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