The Bulletin. 



33 



Different sections of the country use various packages in marketing 

 cantaloupes, but the one package most universally preferred by the mar- 

 kets for the Eastern-grown crop is the standard slatted crate. This 

 package measures 12 x 12 x 22 inches, inside measurement. Melons 

 should be so graded that each package contains forty-five fruits of uni- 

 form size. They should also be of uniform color and degree of ripeness. 

 All other specimens not answering these requirements should either be 

 kept at home or marketed in some other style of package. Only first- 

 class, number-one grade melons should be packed and marketed in stand- 

 ard packages. Fig. 21 shows properly packed cantaloupes. 



ASPARAGUS. 



Asparagus requires special care in its preparation for market. Some 

 preferences are for the white, bleached stalks that must be cut several 

 inches below the surface of the ground ; others are for the green, "grassy" 

 stalks that can be cut either at the surface or above ground. In either 

 case only fine, perfect stalks should be shipped. These may be harvested 

 every day or every other day, depending upon weather conditions and 



Fig. 22. — Package Holding 12 Bunches of Asparagus as it was Opened 



on the Market. 



the demands of the trade. In this, as in the harvesting of other crops, 

 growers must be governed by experience. The stalks should be tied in 

 bunches of even size and length, usually from 3% to 4 inches in diameter 

 and from 6 to 8 inches in length. These bunches are tied at each end 



