Packages 147 



a full supply before the picking season begins, as the esti- 

 mated crop may be cut short by weather conditions ; but 

 it is safer to prepare for a full crop than to risk being caught 

 without an adequate supply of packages in the middle of 

 the harvest. The following experience illustrates what 

 may happen if the ordering of package material is left 

 until the last moment.^ "On account of the lack of berry 

 crates the strawberry shipping at New Albany, Indiana, 

 collapsed early last month. It is estimated that the loss 

 will amount to $100,000. Hundreds of thousands of boxes 

 of berries were left to rot in the fields." If ordered early, 

 box material has a chance to dry out before being used, so 

 that the moisture from crushed berries will be quickly ab- 

 sorbed by the wood without injuring adjacent sound ber- 

 ries. Packages made from material that is not well 

 seasoned will heat. 



If the crates and boxes are bought knocked down they 

 may be made up in the winter, thus furnishing profitable 

 employment on stormy days. The crates may be made 

 and filled with boxes, ready for use ; or the boxes may be 

 stacked, bottom side up, so that dust will not settle into 

 them. Some prefer not to make up the packages more 

 than two or three days before using them, as they do not 

 look fresh and clean if made up long ahead. Do not use 

 second-hand boxes or crates; even though the dingy 

 ends are covered with colored lithographed labels, this 

 is poor economy. 



Methods. 



The factories will make up the packages as cheaply as 

 the grower can, but the freight bill will be heavier ; most 

 growers find it more economical to do it on the farm. 



^ "American Fruits," I (1904), p. 74. 



