The Bulletin. 23 



grown, and then picked and either shipped at once or else stored in a 

 cool, dark place. Pears are picked and graded in much the same way 

 as apples. Every care should be taken to avoid bruising or injuring the 

 skin. There seems to be a diversity of opinion regarding the most desir- 

 able type of package to use in placing this fruit on the market. Some 

 buyers prefer barrels, others want the bushel box, and again some others 

 think the half-barrel hamper basket, as used in shipping lettuce, the 

 most desirable package. Probably the best package to use for the local 

 market is the bushel box or the half-bushel hamper basket, as used in 

 marketing garden peas. For the distant market, varieties like the Keif- 

 fer and Duchess seem to be preferred in barrels. Fancy-grade stock and 

 varieties, like Bartlett, carry better and sell more satisfactorily when 

 packed in bushel boxes, as shown in Fig. 11. Wrapping the fruits usu- 

 ally adds to the general appearance of the entire package and aids in 

 preventing the decay of the fruit. In packing pears, whether in barrels, 

 boxes or baskets, the same methods are used as in grading and packing 

 apples. 



PLUMS. 



The proper time to pick plums for marketing depends upon the vari- 

 ety grown and the time required to place the fruit on the market. As a 

 rule, European varieties, when intended for distant markets, are picked 

 when well colored but still firm. American varieties, being more juicy, 

 must be picked before fully ripe, if they are to be shipped a distance. 

 Japanese plums can be harvested earlier than other varieties, as their 

 color and flavor will develop after being gathered. 



Usually, plums can be picked in a greener state than can any of the 

 other fruits. Those intended for market should be harvested by hand 

 and never shaken from the tree. A'stepladder is used in gathering, and 

 the fruit picked, with stems on, into suitable baskets. The grading and 

 packing is similar to that employed in the preparation of other fruits 

 for market. Uniformity and neatness are the chief requirements. 



The style of package used in marketing plums varies somewhat with 

 the preferences of the different markets. Some prefer the ten-pound 

 handle basket frequently used in marketing grapes ; others want the 

 standard thirty-two quart berry crate, but the greatest demand of East- 

 ern markets is for the six-basket carrier used for packing peaches and 

 tomatoes. 



GRAPES. 



For any market, grapes should be gathered when fully ripe. The 

 harvesting is best done in clear weather, when the vines and fruit are 

 not damp with either dew or rain. Stems should be cut with scissors 

 or a knife and the bunches placed on trays and carried to the packing 

 shed. Here they are sorted and graded. This consists mainly in remov- 

 ing all small, damaged or green berries from the bunch. In some locali- 

 ties grapes are packed in five and ten-pound handle baskets, in others the 

 six-basket peach carrier is used. One of the most attractive packages 

 for handling this fruit is the four-basket carrier, commonly known as 

 the "North Carolina grape carrier." ISTo matter what the style of pack- 

 age used, the bunches are placed with stems downward and packed 

 snugly, the smaller bunches being used to fill the spaces between the 



