CONEEEENCE ON FEUIT GEO WING. 



9 



These packages may, and probably will, be used as long as serviceable ; 

 but their places should be taken as soon as possible by the standard 

 packages hereinafter described. As the loss involved by making the 

 change will not be considerable, and as under the new and improved 

 conditions ^ a substantial gain may be looked for, growers are strongly 

 urged to adopt the standard packages as rapidly as possible. If they do 

 so, the cost of manufacture, by reason of the great increase in the demand 

 for packages of fixed sizes, will at once be considerably reduced : 30 to 

 50 per cent, reduction in price is anticipated. This will lead to more 

 general use of non-returnable packages, owing to their low cost, and the 

 cost of marketing the fruit will thus be reduced. It is likely that when 

 the fruit always comes to market in clean, new packages of uniform sizes, 

 an increase in sales will follow, as the time of both the buyer and sales- 

 man will be saved through obviating the necessity for examining the 

 contents of each package. 



" ' The grower is assured that the experience of all the most 

 successful fruit-growers is that too much attention cannot be given to 

 the packing and care of his fruit. Cleanliness must always be strictly 

 observed: the cleaner the package, and the more tasty the "get up," 

 the more certain it is that the fruit it contains will command a good 

 price. 



" ' The grading of all kinds of fruit is of the utmost importance. 

 The old-fashioned way of putting small fruit at the bottom of the 

 package and " topping up" with large fruit, besides being dishonest, is 

 sure to lower the price in the future to the producer, and causes an 

 amount of suspicion, which is inimical to the best interests of the trade. 

 Mis-shapen, very small, or bruised fruit should never be packed with 

 the best. 



" ' If these recommendations are adopted, we consider that the 

 Department of Agriculture should issue stamps or brands, with which the 

 holder may mark his packages as "standard " packages, according to the 

 schedule detailed below. The Department might allow its inspectors 

 from time to time to examine packages put up by the holders of these 

 stamps or brands, and in case of abuse they should withdraw the right to 

 use the stamp. The value of such a mark on the packages, as well as on 

 the packing paper, must be obvious alike to grower, packer, salesman, and 

 the public. 



" ' Schedule. 



" ' Section 1. — Gathering. 



Apples and Pears must be hand-pulled. "Windfalls," or fruit 

 shaken off trees, must not be mixed with hand-pulled. Discretion must 

 be exercised as to the best time to pull late-keeping Apples and Pears. 

 (See Department's Special Memo, on Fruit Culture.) Apples and Pears 

 of non-keeping sorts should be packed for market as soon as ready for 

 use, so as to be handled only once. All other fruit should be gathered 

 straight into market packages and only handled once. Pickers of soft 

 fruits should sort out the fruit as evenly as possible into different grades 

 as they go along. 



