16 The Bulletin. 



method keeps the berries in much better condition than where they are 

 allowed to remain in the field until brought in by the pickers. 



GRADING. 



Carefully trained pickers can do all the grading and sorting neces- 

 sary, as they gather the strawberries. They should be instructed to 

 place all small, inferior, and over-ripe berries into separate baskets, and 

 under no circumstances to put specimens of this kind into baskets with 

 good fruit intended for market. Specially constructed carrying trays 

 can be provided each picker, as illustrated in Fig. 5, on which four 

 baskets can be placed for holding the two grades that are gathered at 

 the same time. Growers who adopt this method of picking and grading 

 pay their pickers full price for gathering the inferior fruit. The estab- 

 lishment of this system among pickers necessitates careful watching on 

 the part of the grower, but those who have tried it have found that it 

 has proved decidedly profitable. This method of grading eliminates 

 the necessity of rehandling the fruit after it has been brought to the 

 packing shed. Trained pickers can also face each basket, thereby in- 

 creasing the attractiveness of the package. This is easily done while 

 picking by placing the last layer of berries stem end down. Facing is 

 an honest and perfectly legitimate practice, provided the entire con- 

 tents of the basket are fruits of the same grade as those placed on top. 

 Small and inferior berries scattered throughout the baskets in a crate, 

 be it ever so nicely faced, will give the buyer an opportunity to dis- 

 criminate against that grower's pack the entire season, and, as a rule, 

 buyers remember instances of this kind from one season to another. 



PACKING. 



Packing is an important operation in the preparation of strawberries 

 for market. Berries should be cool and dry before being placed in the 

 crate. Heat and moisture promote decay. Conditions of this kind 

 should be guarded against, for decay means loss. Fruit that has be- 

 come cool and dry before being packed will keep longer and appear to 

 best advantage at the time of sale. No strawberry grower's equipment 

 is complete without a conveniently located packing shed properly 

 arranged for the cooling and drying of the fruit. A building of this 

 kind need not be made of expensive material, but the construction 

 should be such as to allow a free circulation of air and at the same 

 time shade the berries. A well arranged house of this kind is shown 

 in Fig. 6. A shed having ample circulation of air, but not affording 

 much shade for the fruit, is shown in Fig. 7. 



Before packing in the crate, see that each basket is well filled, with 

 the berries placed firmly and snugly. Every day, consignments are 

 placed on the market showing evidences of careless packing. Consider 

 for a moment the average route traveled bv a crate of berries. The 



