FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT. 43 



which the spray should come in a very fine mist. When sprayinji for 

 leaf-chewino- insects a coarser nozzle should be used, so that the liquid 

 may be put on quite heavily. 



PICKING AND PACKING. 



Any fruit grower who thinks that there is no right way or wrong way 

 for picking small fruits is seriously mistaken. There is certainly a right 

 way to pick strawberries, and the right way is to pinch the stem with 

 the thumb nail. The wrong way is to jerk off the berry, which often 

 leaves the stem and calyx on the vine, while the place for these is 

 on the berry. A short stem left on each strawberry' is a great protec- 

 tion when shipping, and berries certainly look better when picked witli 

 stems on than they do with part stems on and part off. We must bear 

 in mind that our berries are going on the market in competition with 

 other berries, and that if we are to expect a better price for our fruit 

 it must have a better appearance than the fruit of our competitors. 



Berries should not be picked when the vines are wet, unless it is 

 absolutely necessary. Some years ago, T made an experiment along this 

 line. Several crates of berries were picked late in the afternoon. These 

 berries were packed and lids ])ut on the crates nnd shipped out that 

 evening. The shipping distance was about one hundred mih^s from 

 the farm. Early the next morning while the plants were wet with dew, 

 T had my pickers pick several more crates which were packed, nailed 

 uj) and shipped out at once to the same dealer. The berries picked 

 in the evening and those picked in the morning were of the same 

 varieties. Those picked in the evening reached destination in perfect 

 condition and brought a high price, wliile the bonnes picked the morn- 

 ing they were shipped reached my dealer rather soft and did not con\- 

 mand as high a price as those that were picked in the afternoon when 

 the vines were dry. Of course, during a wet season it is better to 

 pick the berries wet than to allow them to become over-rtpe, and if 

 we are to market our berries right at home and they are sold as soon 

 as picked, then the degree of dampness or dnaiess makes little difference. 



T have tried several ways of grading berries, and T have decided 

 that the best time to grade the fruit is when they are picked. Each 

 picker should be supplied with picking stands each, holding four to six 

 quart-boxes. The fancy berries should be put in separate boxes from 

 the second-grade. This is an easy matter. The picker soon will learn 

 to pick the fancy berries first, and before moving forward will pick the 

 second-grade fruit. 



When the berries are taken to the packing house, the boxes containing 

 the fancy berries may be tipped sufticiently so that the inspector may 

 see to the bottom to learn whether or not the berries on the bottom will 

 average as good as those on the top. The top layer of each quart 

 box should be arranged attractively, so that they Avill present the best 

 possible appearance. If it is a long l)erry like Haverland, the fruit 

 should be laid on the side with the brightest side up. If the beri'y is 

 round like Warfield or Clyde, the stem-end should be placed down and, 

 if possible, the berries should be laid in rows. 



After the crate has been filled with the quart boxes, place an occas- 

 ional spray of leaves in between the quart boxes, and then cover the 



