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I J THE DESERET FARMER' SATURDAY, MAY .22, 1909 1
I ' HORTICULTURE
I PACKING FRUIT.
H H. P. Barrows.
H While .visiting the market district
H in Denver one day, the writer was
H struck with the neat, yet showy ap-
Hf pcarancc of a shipment of apples;
H; they were from Grand Junction, that
Hft was told plainly by the box labels.
K. Along side of the apples there was
B a shipment of prunes, the fruit was
m first-class, but had been simply dump-
H, cd in- the 'baskets with no effort at
B packing; the crates were not labcl-
M cd but the dealer said they were
H from Utah. The Utah fruit was bet-
H, tcr than the Co'orado product, but
m, it did hot have the benefit of proper
H packing.
M This incident illustrates conditions
B in Utah pretty well. We can raise
V as good fruit as can be ' produced
' anywhere in the country, but we do
M not present it to the trade in a con-
H dition fit to secure the best price:.
H We have followed' too largely the
H lax methods pf the East, not rcaliz-
Hl ing that we have different conditions
H to meet. We arc a much greater
H' distance from the market; to which
H we expect to take the greater part of
H our products. We must spcurc a
H- I cttcr price to make up for the money
1 spent in transportation. It is true
Hb that we can produce a better pro-
H duct, but to ob'ain the increased
H price, our fruit must not only b&
better, but it must also look better
iftcr its long ride. Remember that
the buyer must judge largely by ap
pcarancc:?.
These things have been realized by
fruit growers and packers' in other
Western states. Colorado has been
mentioned; her methods of packing
have been responsible to a great ex
tent for the rapid rise in the value
of her fruit lands. The Northwest
ern States Washington, Oregon and
Idaho arc sending fruit intov the
world's great markets because thev
rack it in fit condition to reach them.
They obtain better prices than we,
not because they have better fruit
but because they pack it better. It
is needless to tell of what good pack
ing and marketing methods have
done for California; she could do
nothing with her thousands of cars
of surplus fruit were it not properly
packed.
The foremost fruit "growers and
commission men fare beginning to
realize that something must be done,
and in certain sections an effort has
been made to introduce better meth
ods. It is the purpose of this article
to aid in extending tin's awakening
throughout the state.
The object of good packing is first
to insure the safe arrival of the fruit
on the ' market. ITcnce the manner
of packing will depend upon the dis
tance the fruit is to be hauled,
and the way it is to be carried. Fruit
intended for the New York market
should be packed in a different man
ner .from fruit 'intended for loca'.
m,arkats, Gr for impress shipments
to nearby points. For instance, pro
vision should be made for shrink
ing, so that the "bulge" on the box
of pears packed green for a distant
market would be greater than on a
box of 'apples packed for local trade.
The kind 'of fruit and the market to
be reached have a good deal to do
with the size and style of the pack
age. Barrels may the all right for
common eastern stock, but for our
fancy western fruit we need a light
er, neater and more convenient pack
age, which we secure in our stand
ard boxes.
Packing has another object,, just
as important as securing the safe
arrival of the fruit; that is to dis
play it to the best advantage. It is
perfectly legitimate for a packer to
present his product in the most at
tractive manner. No one doubts but
rhat the appearance of fruit depends
very largc'y upon the manner in
which it is packed. It is not general
ly considered, however, to what ex
tent the price depends upon the a.p
jrcarancc. Good packing may mean
the difference between a good profit
and a sheer loss.
It is not within the province of
this paper to explain the technical
methods and practice of packing but
to draw attention to sonic of 'the
underlying principles.
For all practical purposes, grading,
though a separate operation may be
I Utah Implement-Vehicle Co. ?? FET
considered with packing; even though II
grading may be carefully done befo. c H
packing proper, n careful packer a!-
most unconsciously grades the fruit j
as he packs it. Grading should be
such that a simple notation on the
package will tell just what it con- 1
tains. A box of California oranges j
gives the number of oranges on the fc
box. We should follow the same J
plan with our apples, pears and
peaches. Though a packer !has a
right to display his fruit to the best
advantage he has no right to pack )
different fruit at the top and sides
of a box than he has at the bottom v
. or middle. Honesty in packing Is j
certainly the only paying p'olicy. h
If the fruit is to present the best 'j
appearance it must not only be pro- ?i
purly graded, but it must also be j
properly cleaned. Again we may
learn a lesson from the packing of ,1
California oranges; in California they 1
have special machinery for washing
the fruit. We may not wash our
deciduous fruits, bub it will often
pay to wipe it. Wiping apples has
proven to pay well in Oregon.
It is seldom now that an attempt ,
is made to ship peaches or pears any
distance without wrapping Some of
our shippers think that it is carrying j
things a little too far, when we sug
gest wrapping apples, but it will ccr- '
tainly pay if we desire to reach ths j
best markets, and is imperative if
we bid for foreign trade. The wrap
ped fruit arrives in better condition
and, if neat wrappers arc used and
the work is done neatly makes ;i
more attractive package. An oppor
tunity for advertising is presented in
the use of printel wrappers. The ex
pense of wrapping paper amounts to
but a few cents per box, and that
amounts to a very little deft packer- j
Kindly mention the "Deseret Far
mer" when writing to or doing busi
ness with ot advertisers.
1 -
M. CHR1STOPHERSON, Mgr.
SALT LAKE NURSERY GO.
LARGE STOCK OF WINTER
APPLES BUDDED FROM
BEARING TREES AND TRUE
TO NAM'S.
Ikat Road, brt nth and lath So.
Salt Lake City, Utah.
PARK AND LANDSCAPE
GARDENING.
GROWERS AND IMPORTERS
I OF CHOICE NURSERY STOCK
H PUT A BURGLAR ALARU ON YOUR BARN, STOREHOUSES, OUTHOUS-ri i" f m 0"IMO SALT LAKE CITY
m H.ETC IT PAY. DUOrU t A- OUINO UTAH.
