CHAPTER VIII 



PACKAGES 



The packages used for shipping strawberries have 

 changed with the generations to meet new conditions as 

 they have arisen. The evolution of the modern, cheap 

 gift package from the clumsy and expensive return pack- 

 age of earlier days has reflected the rapid development 

 of the industry.^ 



THE STRAWBERRY BOX 



When strawberries are grown for a personal market, 

 many types of packages can be used in order to give dis- 

 tinctiveness to the product; but when grown for the 

 general market, the choice is determined largely by the 

 preferences of the market. Buyers prefer the package 

 to which they have become accustomed ; they will pay 

 more for strawberries in what is considered a standard 

 package for that market than in an unusual package, how- 

 ever meritorious. 



Material. 



Probably ninety-five per cent of the strawberries mar- 

 keted in North America to-day are sold in quart or pint 

 splint or scaleboard boxes. These are made of white 



^ For the history of strawberry packages, see Chapter III in "The 

 Strawberry in North America." 



138 



