May, ipip 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 5 



the morning at the same time, there will 

 always be a great number of them com- 

 ing in at the same time with a carrier 

 full. Then one should be well supplied 

 with carriers filled with empty boxes, 

 so the pickers will not have to wait 

 while you empty their carriers. 



Another reason why you should be 

 well supplied with carriers is that you 

 should have enough carriers so that 

 you can place the full carrier on the 

 packing tables for your packers with- 

 out taking the boxes out. In this way 

 one can mark a carrier simply by 

 placing a card with the number or name 

 of the picker who picked that carrier 

 of berries in the carrier when it is 

 brought in. Likewise when the packer 

 packs that particular carrier one can 

 find out whether the picker is picking 

 according to instructions. 



Berries to be just right for picking 

 should be red on the upper side, shaded 

 down to a very light pink on the under 

 side. Then the berries are in the right 

 condition for picking, and, if properly 

 packed, will carry to the market in 

 number one condition. All berries 

 should be picked with the stem one- 

 fourth of an inch long. This is done by 

 placing the thumb and forefinger under 

 the berry and making a slight pressure 

 of the thumb nail against the forefinger. 

 This will properly take the berry from 

 the plant a great deal quicker than I 

 can tell it. No picker should be allowed 

 to pull or snap the berries off without 

 a stem, as all such berries will not keep 

 and should be discarded as culls. It is 

 also necessary to see that the pickers 

 pick all the berries that are ripe enough 

 to be picked, as the next day, if the 

 weather should be hot they will be 



A properly graded strawberry field on hilly ground. 



overripe and will have to be sorted out 

 as such. 



It is also necessary not to let the 

 pickers set the small boxes down on the 

 loose dirt in the field, so as to get them 

 dirty and soiled. It is quite necessary 

 at times also to watch the pickers to see 

 that they do not carry the berries 

 around in their hands or in their aprons 

 to fill out the tops of the carriers, as 

 this will take the gloss and shine off the 

 berries and render them far less at- 

 tractive for market. 



Packing the Berries 



No berries should be packed unless 

 they are perfect in shape and firm. All 

 long-necked and overripe and those 

 that are too small should be sorted out, 

 and it is always necessary to watch the 

 packers, especially beginners, to see 



An overllowin;; Ijox ol" (Uark Seedlings. 



that they make a solid pack and still 

 not squeeze the berries in placing them 

 in the top rows. The berries in the 

 under tier of the boxes should be kept 

 from projecting over the edge of the 

 boxes, for if they do, when the top tier 

 of boxes is placed in the crate they cut 

 the edges of the berries projecting over 

 the lower tier of boxes and make a 

 soiled and stained looking package. 

 The top boxes should be filled full 

 enough so that the berries in the boxes 

 will just about touch the cover when 

 it is nailed on. This will keep the 

 berries from shaking around and get- 

 ting out of place while in transit. In 

 placing the top tier in each hallock or 

 box, berries of uniform size should be 

 selected and packed four by four, four 

 by five or five by five. A five by five is 

 as small a berry as should be packed. 



Growing Young Plants. 



The best |)lnnts aie grown from 

 young plants. That is, fields of plants, 

 planted the previous fall or spring. 

 The best part of the field should be 

 selected for plant growing, and the first 

 and second set of runners should be 

 I rimmed off to make the plant strong 

 :ind vigorous before the runners are 

 allowed to take hold and set for young 

 plants. 



If it is desired to have the young 

 plants ready for transplanting during 

 ilic summer, say during the last of July 

 Ol- the first of August, it is sometimes 

 necessary to press tlie young sets into 

 moist ground sufficiently so they will 

 slay there. In this way the plants will 

 be ready for transplanting in from ten 

 days to two weeks. And plants trans- 

 planted this time of the year, if the 

 ground is in good condition, will make 



