[| il | THESIS Nam C. G& BURNS THESIS LIBRARY Michigan State University THESIS LIBRARY Michigan State University T H E 8 TI S 0-0-0~0 BAS €uT INDUSTRY June 7, 1lyle. Wiculgan Agricultural Colla.e. The object of this thesis is the discussion of basket making with special reference to costs. Owing to the large number of different Kinds of Patents Baskets made under this patent, no effort will be made to discuss each but will take one specified size as representative of the industry and follow it through the various processes of its mamfacture. The representative basket will be the 25 1b. patent or the half bushel basket. The basket industry is not very important from the econ- omic standpoint, especially to the Lumberman. The demand for timber is not so great that 1t will in any way affect the supply, but it is of more or less importance to several different industries, the greatest of which is fruit growing. Several years ago, fruit of nearly every Kind was shipped in barrels or loose in the car; but of late years the growers of the east and the south have experimented with baskets and found them a success. Fruit in baskets can be shipped with less loss, also less time and trouble, It can be put on the market quicker and reacnes the ultimate consumer easier and in more saleable condition than if it were in barrels, or in car load lots. As soon as a demand was created for a container to ship fruit in, various concerns tried to meet this demand and the vasket offered was whut is Known to the trade as the “splint basket", or the "diamond." The ativantages and disadvantages of these forms of baskets viill be discussed in this thesis. -j- At this time, among the numerous efforts to supply a container were those of the Saginaw Patent Basket Company which put out a basket known to the trade as the "Saginaw Patent Basket." This Saginaw basket was put up in such a mamner that it was strong and durable as well as being sold at a price that would enable the fruit growers to use it economically. It is not the intention to convey the idea that the @milint basket is not being used, because it is and to quite a large extent in Michigan and several of tne southern states. There are several large factories in Michigan where tne splint basket is made. Tne splint basket in various sizes from the small grape basket thut holds only a few pounds to the large clothes basket which holds several bushels, are mude especially for peaches, plums, pears, apples, mellons, cherries, grapes, ail kinds of berries as well as fisn, clothes, nuts, and picnic lunches. The splint basket i8 made somewhat similar to the patent, the only difference being in the number of pieces put into the basket. The patent basket when made up complete with cover ana handle, consistsof only twelve pieces of veneers, while one splint basket contains all the way from 25 to 100 and requires greater skill to construct as well as more time. The patent is made up in numerous sizes and owing to small number of pieces of veneer in each, it is stronger as well as cheaper. . The woods used in the manufacture of this patent basket are Maple, Elm, and Basswood. ~ ahi 4 a et: kK & vere, ate yA a Ei “+ » jh uke _ pit mn E OnE ener pt? co y 5 Ss ae, . Bikey: ata ERY pays Site ae ‘ AO * “a 2? : e ter 7 ‘tap Cd em Ae Jed ee Hy : ey . 3- D +o ae’ Ha Boe tal? ‘a the exe: ihe? abl is 7i& : 2 ot x About one-nalf the wood in the basket is Maple. It com- bines strength with elasticity, 18 strong, hard, smooth and has no rough edges, and will mt splinter easily;when it is steamed lt will take any shape and will not double up or break. wWhan ary, it holds is shape well and will not warp the basket out of snape. Maple adds to the beauty of the basket. It gives a certain smooth clean, sanitary appearance thut would be nara to get in another wood at the same price. Basswood is used in making the basket because it is fairly strong and easily bent in any shape, and wears well, and prin- Cipally vecause of its cheapness and abundance. There are sev- eral woods thut could be used, but their scarcity raises the price too high. Basswood meets all the demands thut are made upon it. It has a clean appearance and works well with very little waste. It holds its shape and will not warp or splinter. It does not break when bent nor leave any rougn edges that will injure the fruit in ny way. Elm is used in the constructicn of the basket for various reasons, the first being thut no wood can be found thut will answer the purpose to wrich it is put at anywnere the same price. Hlm can be twisted into almost any shape without breaking if it is properly steamed. It will hold tacks witnout splitting, is very pliable and works easily. It is generally straigntgrained and has @ long fibre which especially suits it for the use to which it is put. Red Blm 1s the species tnat is generally used, although any species of the #lm can be used. (The handles of = a'¢ = ot) ae ee —-= ere ¥ ‘ 4 bk. . A. 4 | Tes #5 fh Da Re fat FOG 1a Je Pa SE TS ig Es ‘ ijt - sy - 3 / *. be «decker «ee he * wo 44 so ; a. Some tt hae SVE MR neh the basket is also made from Elm.) It does not muke so much differencethe kind of w:od thet 1s used ii. the covers, 28 any wood as long as it is not too full of Knots will answer the purpose, Hence in making the covers, they use slabs and odds and ends that are found in warte material. One of the greatest problems thut the fruit grower has to contend with is the question of the package in whicn tne fruit is shipped. Snirj.ing fruit is barrels has never been satisfactory to the grower. They are large, heavy and coatly as well as being neavy to handle. Several bushels of fruit are put in eacn barrel und if infection of any kind gets into the fruit, the whold barrel is generally a total loss before it is :nown th.t the friit is infected. Shipring in barrels effects tne sale of the fruit somewnat in that tne consumer generally does not care to buy a whole barrel of fruit at a time, as it is so long before it is used that the most@f it spoils. Shitting in barrels and in carloada lots also affects the sale of fruit in w.other way. In order to sell fruit or nearly any other saleuble product, it must have a certain anount of neatness and attractiveness about it as weil as quality and quantity. The product must be pleasirg to the eye as well as to the palute, so the questicn to the fruit growers was, “How can the fruit be put on the market in the most attracite manner?" Various contrivances were used. Sacks were tried, but it was found that the cloth did not protect the fruit from bruises wnen shipped and they were more or less cut ~ he and bruised after they had been shipped any distance. Boxes have been tried for pucking fruit but they are so expensive thut it was found they could not be used at any profit. | After a good many different kinds of containers were tried and found wanting, the questicn of using baskets for ship;.ing fruit was considered. They were used and met with varying de- grees of success. wnat is known as the "Diamond" basket wis first used and it soon became quite popular. It was used quite extensively, but still was not quite satisfactory owing to the fact that they were made from small splints and cculd not be put so close together but that little noles were left between the splints. These holes allowed the fruit to become more or less injured, and anotner fault was that they were not very stiff and would not nold their shape very well, giving more or less whe: handled. Thig action between the individual fruits might break the skins and let in the spore of some fungi which infection would destroy tne fruit. Even with these objections, the "Diamond" basket was used quite extensively by the fruit growers in the various parts of the United States. in 1690, there was put on tne market what is known as the "solid bottom basket," wiich was constructed as follows: Te bottom consisted of a solid piece of wood,generally of some soft wood. This was cut into correct dimensions and rounded at the ends. A piece of iilm vaneer wnich was previously cut to =~ 5 the correct lengtn und width ig taken and the bottom part nailed to the piece of wood thut is to serve as the bottom. The vaneer ls cut so it will reach around the bottom and the two ends meet. Zn elm hoop isthen nailed on the outside of the vaneer at tne pottom so the tacks will pass thru the vancer into the bottom holding the vaneer fast to the bottom. Another is then nailed around the top to make the basket stronger. ‘Tne handles are made the same way as those for the "diamond" and "patent" basket and are fastened the same way. wnen this basket first appeared on the market, it met with instant favor and was ado;ted by fruit growers asfust as it bde- came known as it was a mucn cetter basket than the "diamond’, would last longer, was cheaper, stronger, anu the fruit was not so to be bruised ius it wus in tne splint basket. The most important thing about this basket to the fruit grower was that it was cheaper as well as naving uw very neat appearance. It was trim and smootn and altogether guve the fruit u much better appearance than aiy otner package thut had ever been tried. This is like a great many other things;as well as having a great many advantages, it had a number of disadvantages. "ne chief draw back to the sclid bottom basket. is that after it has been used a couple of times, or hzs deen allowed to stand in a damp place, the tacks rust off and the bottom will fall out. ar the basket is kept in too dry a pluce, the vuneer will become Qry and crack open. fhe vaneer generally cracks openwhere a tack has been driven in, so this in turn allows the bottom to fall out or the top to pull off. This fault in the basket has <6- been overcome to a great extent and there are more solid bottom baskets used today than any other. Up to 189%, the Saginaw Basket Company nud been making Roth the "diamond" and the "solid bottcm basket.* They had peen studying carefully the advantages und disadvantages of the various kinds of baskets on the market, und in 1854 they patented and put on the market what is known today as the "Saginuw Patent Basket." Tnis basket was created with the ;urrpose of enbodying all the good points of the .resent makes of baskets, and eliminating all its disadvantages. To bdegin with, the "diamond® basket's greatest disadvantages were the splints left holes between them, and the basket was not strong, and was eusily broken. Tne "patent basket", when properly made, will hold water. It is made of vaneer of such a thickness that it is strong and wlll nold its snape and will not cause the fruit to become bruised. The disadvantage of tne solid oottom baske’. 1s that the bottom drops out. The patent basket is mude solid. four pieces of vaneer go to make «1p the body of the basket. The bottom and sides are all of one riece of vaneer, so it is impossible for the bottom to fullout. Tne patent is the cheapest of the three, i8 a better looking basket, will last longer and keep its snape better even than does the solid bottom basket. The Maple, and Basswood used in the manufacture of the patent pasket gives it a very distinctive appearance. It has a clean uttractive a pearance when filled with fruit that no other Dasket ~ [= nas. The process of manufacture of tne patent Dasket 1s an interesting study. The logs are unloaded from the car in the yard of the mill and as they are needed they are sawed ur into the various lengths required ana put into the cooking vat. This is a large tank filled with water wi.ich is ke);t at boiling ten- perature by live steam from the engine. The logs are left in the vat from 24 to 36 hours when they are taken out of the vat and peeled and hoisted to the height of the lathe by means of a block and tackle system suspended from a car above. The cur, with the log or "blot" suspended, is run to the lathe where the bolt is fastened in. ‘The bolt is made to revolve ugainst a snarp knife so tne wood is peeled off in long strips called "“vaneer", Tnis vaneer is cut to varying thicknessés varving of course with the use to which it is tc be put.