20 



or show fruit in January, no dust should be applied after Octo 

 ber. 



GATHERING THE FRUIT. 



In twelve to fourteen months fruit should be in proper condi- 

 tion to pick, and if intended for foreign markets, should be ga- 

 thered green but perfectly full. Experience can be the only guide 

 in picking for shipment, so that a good colour may be ob- 

 tained, for if pine-apples are picked too green they will never 

 assume a good rich colour. The method practised is for a picker 

 to go into the fields followed by another man who should have a 

 wicker basket of about one or more bushels to carry the fruit. 

 This man takes each pine-apple from the picker and carefully 

 places it in his basket. When the basket is filled, it is carried 

 either to the packing house or placed in a spring cart or waggon 

 padded with bagging to prevent the fruit from being bruised. It 

 is thought that many growers in cutting the pine-apple from the 

 plant with about 2 inches or more of stalk attached to the fruit 

 make a mistake ; for this stalk in a few clays, becomes sour, and 

 decays the fruit. The better method probably is to snap the fruit 

 from the stalk. With a little practice this can be done without 

 breaking the stalk, by gently pressing the knee upward under the 

 pine-apple, and with the hand bend the fruit inwards until it snaps 

 from the stalk. (A few slips removed from the side towards 

 which the fruit is bent will cause the pine to snap from the stalk 

 easier, but in no case remove all the slips during the early or 

 later growth of the pine-apple, because they protect the fruit 

 from the sun. Besides, the slips when allowed to grow the pro- 

 per length are well worth planting and form a valuable asset to 

 the planter.) 



PACKING. 



When the fruit is delivered at the packing house, it is care- 

 fully piled not more than three pines high, on tables or on a 

 clean floor. It is left overnight to cool off before being wrapped. 

 The paper used for wrapping should be tough and strong, but 

 not too thin or too thick. After the pines are sufficiently cooled, 

 they should be carefull} wrapped and placed where the packer will 

 be able to get to them without moving from the crates. The crates 

 hold twenty-four, thirty, thirty-six, forty, and forty-eight, accord- 

 ing to size (forty-eight size being very small are seldom shipped). 

 Each pine-apple is handled separately, and they are placed head 

 and tail (or top and bottom) alternately in the crate. After the 

 package is filled, the fruit should project about I inch above the 

 sides of the crate, and the slats are then nailed. In this operation 

 the slats should be gently pressed down with the knee and never 

 nailed until each slot is firmly pressed down on the sides of the 

 crate ; otherwise, bruising of the fruit will result. Too much care 

 cannot be taken in packing and handling all kinds of fruit. 



Freight on all shipments must be prepaid, and proper bills of 

 lading should be taken out ; shipments for Canada must be ac- 

 companied by delaration made out in triplicate on regular forms 



