PEACH PACKING AND PACKAGES. 



Pro^. M. a. BIvAKK. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



I think I would like to change the wording of my topic a little, 

 to "Harvesting and Packing of Peaches." As our time is short, I 

 will try to cut my talk down and make it as brief as I can. 



First, I would say that the work the Experiment Station has 

 been doing in New Jersey, in regard to peach growing in that state, 

 is to try to solve the problems of peach growing. The station has 

 peach orchards in two different parts of the state. We pick, pack, 

 and market the fruit, the returns come into the state and are turned 

 over to the state. We do not pretend to say that all of these prob- 

 lems we try to solve are new. In fact, all of them are pretty largely 

 handled by the fruit grower. The idea is to help the average man 

 and to try to help the leading man in every way possible. Try to 

 co-operate with them and we think that is the best method to accom- 

 plish results. 



When it comes to the harvesting, marketing, and packing ques- 

 tion, of course we must say that the locality has a good deal to do 

 with the problem, so that these remarks that I will make this after- 

 noon are given to you for what they are worth. And if I give you 

 an idea here and there that will do you some good I shall be glad 

 of it. 



Peaches can be graded and packed in the open air without shel- 

 ter, but to my mind, if one has an orchard of any size, it is necessary 

 to have a packing-house, not only because you are protected from 

 the rain, but because the work can be done much more rapidly and 

 cheaper. 



One thing that has been found in some of our local markets in 

 New Jersey, is that too little attention is paid by fruit growers to 

 the uniform ripeness, grade and quality of fruit sold. We all know 

 that the perfect peach is only secured by being fully ripened on the 

 tree. The peach must be ripe before it is picked to have the full 

 flavor. 



I have gone into markets in local towns in New Jersey where 

 there would be peaches that would not be ripe for a week and some 

 would be over-ripe in the same basket. This is not advertising our 

 home-grown crop in the right way. It is often necessary to sell the 

 second grade fruit in the local market because it is not worth while 

 to ship it, but it should nevertheless be graded according to maturity, 

 size and quality. Where large quantities of fruit are shipped it is 

 often impossible to get the highest grade of fruit grown in that 

 locality. It is easy to tell by the color of the fruit when it is ready 



* 



77 



