116 PEACH CULTUEB. 



safely, as each basket has either the shipper's name in full, 

 distinctly marked in large letters, or his initials, with his 

 address. When thus prepared, they are placed in the 

 cars which brought them, and returned free of charge to 

 the owner. Under the present system this is the way, 

 professedly, in which the business is managed ; but, the 

 actual management, in most cases, is much worse. If the 

 employe is cai'eless, he mixes people's baskets, and the 

 man whose name is on the card gets all, or has to assort 

 them at the shipping point, and throw out what are not 

 his, and the others hardly ever all get safely home. Some- 

 times, they are so badly mixed that even baskets belong- 

 ing to shippers living at different parts are tied together, 

 and thrown out at the first station at which any one of 

 them resides. All this is attributable to incompetency or 

 carelessness, and mostly the latter. But there are other 

 delinquencies more reprehensible still. Where the con- 

 signee has a stand in market, much of the fruit is taken 

 there to be sold to his customers at retail, and the prac- 

 tice prevails to lend the purchaser the basket to take 

 home his fruit. He often forgets or neglects to return it, 

 and the delay or loss falls on the shipper, when it should 

 fall on the consignee. Sometimes the consignee gets 

 paid, but the consignor seldom. Again, sometimes the 

 consignee sells the basket with the fruit, and pockets the 

 price, trusting to the well-known looseness with which 

 this part of the business is managed for exemption from 

 all charges either pecuniary or moral. 



The subject, however, is one that has lately elicited 

 much interest and inquiry among growers, and these 

 abuses are likely soon to be reformed. Shippers now in- 

 sist that baskets shall be returned or paid for ; and con- 

 signees of reputation, and who expect to remain in the 

 business permanently, are acquiescing in the demand, and 

 contracting accordingly. Growers also insist on prompti' 

 tuHe in returning empties. Heretofore, it was thought that 



