Picking and Packing the Fruit 403 



monly used grade designations. If consistently applied, they 

 should riean respectively fruit that is fairly well colored, 

 practically free from blemishes and in general not below 

 medium size, and fruit usually above medium size and pos- 

 sessing all the other points of merit in a high degree. 



Details of packing. 



It has been pointed out that the details of packing, so far 

 as they concern the placing of the fruit in the packages, are 

 acquired only by practice. However, the packer needs to 

 regard certain essentials from the very beginning. 



At every step, the fruit should be handled with great care, 

 and no specimens which are bruised or the skin of which is 

 punctured or broken however slightly should be packed. 

 Decay is very likely to develop in such specimens while in 

 transit to market if they are included. 



Of equal importance is the close placing of the specimens 

 in the package or individual containers. While the fruits 

 should not be jammed into place, there should be no slack 

 space and the packages should be filled full enough so that 

 when the covers are nailed on every fruit will be under suf- 

 ficient pressure to hold it in place. Any shaking about of 

 fruits will inevitably result in bruising, not only the loose 

 fruit, but those with which it comes in contact. Even if 

 decay does not result, the bruised condition of the fruit will 

 detract from its appearance and will reduce its market value. 

 It is for this reason, in part, that accuracy in sizing is essen- 

 tial for the proper packing of fruit in the packages in which 

 each specimen is placed individually in position. 



The different ways of arranging the fruits in a package are 

 sometimes referred to as the "straight" or "square" pack, 

 "offset," and "alternate," depending on the position of the 



