LOW PRICES OF FRUIT: THE CAUSE AND REMEDY. 



7 



owner is aware of the change in packing, says noth- 

 ing when reporting the sales. 



Again, the grower is apt to overlook the placing 

 of the fruit wagon in charge of a trusty triver in tran- 

 sit to the station. A careless person can do much 

 harm by driving over rough places without any re- 

 gard to the tender character of the fruit. I would 

 suggest to the shippers of tender fruit that they fol- 

 low their drivers occasionally to the station and ex- 

 amine the fruit before it leaves for market. I know 

 from personal experience that a large amount is in- 

 jured in this way and the loss attributed to the tran- 

 sportation companies. 



Let the shipper raise the covers of his berry 

 crates and he will soon learn why dealers complain 

 of the poor condition in which the fruit arrives. In 

 some instances he will see berry baskets resting at 

 an angle of 45 degrees, with one-third of the fruit 

 gone, or he may see all of the fruit in the top tier of 

 baskets so bruised by jolting as to be worthless. 

 It would be wiser for the dealer to throw this tier 

 away than to sell the whole at the value represented 

 by the top. 



An essential point for the shipper to consider is 

 the selection of a commission merchant to sell his 

 fruit. This being done, he will do well to inform 

 the merchant of the varieties and quantity of each 

 fruit he proposes shipping, and to obtain all the in- 

 formation he can upon the best methods of prepar- 

 ing and shipping the fruit : also, the kind of packages 

 to be used in order to place the fruit upon the mar- 

 ket to the best advantage. The dealer is generally 

 much better informed on those points than the ship- 

 per, who would frequently save money if he would 

 consult with the merchants more frequently. Every 

 shipper should be on the most friendly terms with 



his dealer, as their interests are usually mutual. 



No shipper should hesitate to ask for the infor- 

 mation he needs, or take offence when the dealer 

 points out defects in packages or methods of pack- 

 ing. I consider it a part of his duty to note and 

 inform his patrons of these deficiences, yet I have 

 frequently known persons to get angry at their deal- 

 ers for mentioning these items, and quit shipping to 

 them. 



One of the great mistakes shippers make is to 

 keep their dealers in ignorance of the quantity and 

 varieties they have to send, or when they intend 

 shipping. One day a grower may send a small lot of 

 a certain variety, and should the dealer report its sale 

 at a high price, the sale perhaps being made because 

 it was a small lot, he may immediately double or 

 triple the quantity, thinking it just as easy to sell 

 much as little. On its arrival the dealer is com- 

 pelled to lower the price or let it perish, whereas if 

 the shipper had notified the dealer of the amount 

 he proposed shipping, the dealer could have in- 

 structed him as to the quantitj' to send at once. 

 Not only this, but the dealer could probably have 

 arranged with his customers to take it on arrival at 

 liberal prices. A curious feature of the fruit trade 

 is that shippers demand a daily report of sales from 

 the dealers, yet at no time during the season do 

 most shippers give the dealer any notice of their 

 intentions as to shipments, and be they little 

 or much, a full price is always expected. Nor 

 does it seem to enter the minds of some that the 

 non-arrival of the usual quantity affects the dealer, 

 or be a disappointment to the purchaser, who had 

 been accustouied to get it regularl)'. In fact, ship- 

 pers show the utmost indifference to the whole 

 matter. C. W. Idell. 



