1442 The Vegetable Industry in New York State 



cents. It is strong enough to prevent injury by expressmen or 

 other rough handling; it will protect the flowers perfectly, and it 

 is open enough to allow the inspectors employed by the association 

 to thoroughly inspect each package. 



One of the great advantages of using the crates is that of 

 forcing the growers to grade their flowers according to size. With 

 the barrel, grading is very seldom practiced. 



MARKETING 



The cauliflower crop from Long Island is moved by fast freight, 

 the railroad often providing special trains. These special trains 

 are put on whenever the shipments are large. A large amount 

 of the shipment, especially to distant markets, is made in re- 

 frigerator cars. The train leaves the east end of the island in 

 the morning and arrives at Flatbush between six and seven in the 

 evening. The barrels are then trucked to the consignee at New 

 York City and go on sale early in the morning. The largest day's 

 shipment known to the writer has been 10,000 barrels. A car 

 holds between 200 and 300 barrels, which are loaded on their 

 sides in the car. 



Most of the flowers from Long Island are sold on commission 

 through the association, or are purchased outright. At River- 

 head, the head office of the association, drivers come in with their 

 wagons, drive up to a platform, the auctioneer removes one or 

 two barrels from the load, taking out the contents, and the load 

 is sold on the contents of those barrels. The auctioneer asks for 

 bids, and representatives of commission houses or the manager 

 of the exchange bid on the barrels. If the price is too low, the 

 manager raises the bids until they are sufficiently high, in this 

 way assuring a fair price to the grower. 



In western New York the flowers are sold through the associa- 

 tion, the association shipping to various cities according to orders, 

 or wlierever the manager thinks advisable. In some of the other 

 sections of New York the cauliflower is carried on the market in 

 open trays or crates and sold directly by the individual head, 

 the dozen, or the load, the flowers going to individuals, hotels, res- 

 taurants, stores and other places. 



