1 8 



CANNING AND PRESERVING. 



As a matter of course, in such a market as New 

 York, receiving shipments from so many different 

 people in different localities, there is more or less of 

 bad packing in poor packages. Dealers who are 

 familiar with all sorts of packing claim that they 

 have great difficulty inducing growers to use proper 

 packages. A small, tight box, which is most fre- 

 quently used for a dozen quart baskets of fancy ber- 

 ries, is sometimes filled with pears or other orchard 

 fruits ; the box contains no given quantity and both 

 dealer and customer guess at the quantity. This of 

 course frequently loses a sale. 



Bad packages means both packages that are not 

 suited for the produce and also those which are in 

 bad shape, broken or worn out. Our illustration 

 shows a good package and a poor one ; no comment 

 is necessary — it shows for itself. For the originals 

 of these sketches we have but to go through Wash- 

 ington Market in New York at any time. 



As an illustration of packing fruit in unsuitable 

 packages, we recently saw a large crate of pears 

 delivered at the store of a commission man. As 

 the crate was taken from the wagon, the odor and 

 feathers which enveloped it led us to suppose it held 

 live poultry as it had evidently been used for that 

 purpose before. When the covers were removed 



all bystanders were surprised to find that the box 

 contained pears. To say that the commission mer- 

 chant was disgusted hardly expresses the feeling. 

 To save the fruit he had each specimen carefully 

 wiped with a cloth and, after being well aired, re- 

 packed in proper baskets ; by this means they 

 brought a good price. Yet such is the stubbornness 

 of the human family, that the chances were nine 

 against one of any reform by the grower. 



The merchant will explain by etter what he was 

 obliged to do in order to sell the fruit. The grower 

 will read the letter, wink an eye and slyly remark. 

 " Oh, that's all right; he is trying to make me think 

 he is serving me extra well." Along goes another 

 box in the same shape, and, should it so happen 

 that for any cause the merchant could not dispose 

 of them as he did the first lot, up goes the wail 

 from the grower, of fraud, cheat, roguery, etc. 



It has been made most evident to the writer, who 

 by the way has grown and shipped many crates, 

 baskets, barrels, etc., of fruit to the New York 

 markets, that if the average grower would pay 

 more attention to suggestions made by his commis- 

 sion merchant he would realize far better returns 

 than at present. 



[to be continued.] 



CANNING AND PRESERVING. 



MORE INSTANCES OF THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPERIOR 

 PRODUCER SOME SUGGESTIO 



Third 



PROGRESS in this 

 nineteenth century there 

 is no end. Progress 

 marks every movement, 

 and though tillers of the 

 soil have in the past been 

 charged with having less 

 of the spirit of "push" 

 than any other class of 

 people, it is interesting to 

 note that they are becom- 

 ing less deserving of this 

 unenviable, though per- 

 haps deserved, distinction as the years go by. 



The world has every reason to believe that the 

 horticulturist of to-day is as far ahead of his brother 

 of 25 years ago, as the latter was in advance of the 

 primitive workers of old colonial days. This evolution 

 has not been sudden, but was a slow process, weigh- 

 ed well and considered long before being adopted. 

 Competition had a hand in the struggle, and to 



PRODUCTS EVAPORATING AND ITS ADVANTAGES TO THE 



NS WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION. 



Paper. 



this powerful enemy (?) of production and friend (?) 

 of consumption more than one laiid worker owes 

 his salvation in his chosen work. It has opened the 

 eyes of our horticulturists to the absolute necessity 

 for energetic, progressive moves should they wish 

 to hold their own with other workers in the field. 



The deeper we go into the question of canning 

 and preserving as one means of consuming the pro- 

 duce of orchard and garden, the more apparent 

 seems the necessity for a stronger combination be- 

 tween the two branches. Each has an opportunity 

 to better his condition by educating the public, or 

 that portion of them who are consumers of these 

 products, to a desire for better goods of the same 

 kinds. This does not seem to us an impossible un- 

 dertaking ; we have but to base our reasoning on 

 the events of the past to give color to the position 

 we now take. In any community the best is usually 

 the cheapest in the end for the consumer ; this will 

 be granted without argument. Again, in the strong 

 tide of competition, is it not the business operator 



