292 



The Canadian Horticnltiirist. 



Grading Fruit for Market. 



Faulty packing is causing con- 

 siderable trouble and complaint in the 

 markets of the East, as well as our 

 local market. The principal cause 

 of complaint is from ungraded fruit. 

 Growers must grade their fruits if 

 they desire to secure anything like a 

 market price. Your packers should 

 receive positive, imperative instruc- 

 tions to grade as to size. Small fruit 

 distributed through a box or basket 

 of otherwise fine, large fruit, will kill 

 the sale. There is hardly a shipment 

 made but what should be packed 

 under at least three grades as to size. 

 Dealers and buyers having a trade 

 for handsome, large fruit will pay a 

 handsome price for packages well 

 graded ; others having trade for 

 medium-sized fruit will purchase the 

 same at a reasonable price ; while 

 others having a cheap trade will pur- 

 chase the small fruit at a low figure. 

 The net results from shipments thus 

 graded will be far greater than to 

 pick and pack all sizes together, ex- 

 pecting that the large fruit will sell 

 the small fruit. This is one of the 

 greatest mistakes that the fruit 

 grower can possibly make. The 

 large, fine fruit will sell itself at a 

 good price, the other sizes and grades 

 will sell themselves ; but, if mixed all 

 in the same package, the large, fine 

 fruit will sell for no greater price than 

 the small or medium -sized fruit would 

 in a package by itself. This is the 

 true business, and growers and ship- 

 pers have been informed of it time 

 and again, and in the face of these 

 facts and information they will pick, 

 pack and ship 3,000 miles to New 

 York without the slightest regard as 

 to grade, and frequently, fine fruits 

 ungraded, sell in the New York mar- 

 ket for barely enough to pay freight 

 and shipping expenses ; whereas, if 

 properly graded, would pay the ship- 

 per a handsome net profit. California 

 fruits at the East this year are re- 

 ceivmg a terrible " black eye" from 

 faulty packing. It would pay Cali- 



fornia fruit growers, through their . 

 various associations, to employ in- 

 spectors or graders, who should be 

 called upon to inspect and pass all 

 fruits packed for Eastern shipment, 

 and the manager and despatcher of 

 these fruits at Sacramento and else- 

 where should be instructed not to 

 show and forward fruits to the East 

 that do not bear the inspector's 

 stamp. Great injury is bound to re- 

 sult to the fruit growing industry of 

 this state if more care is not exercised 

 in the methods of packing, grading 

 and style of packages used. Taking 

 this season as a guide, unless some 

 radical change is wrought, it is doubt- 

 ful if growers generally will ever 

 become packers and shippers to dis- 

 tant markets. — C a I ifo r n i a F r u i t 

 Grower. 



Domestic Notes. 



This 3'ear all our fruit has been 

 put up in one way, and that a very 

 easy one. We make no pound-for- 

 pound preserves, but can everything 

 after this fashion. The fruit is 

 peeled, or prepared in any way 

 desired, and then packed into the 

 bottles, with a sprinkling of sugar 

 all the way through. The jars are 

 then filled up with water and stood 

 in the wash-boiler, with enough cold 

 water to reach three-fourths up the 

 bottles. The bottles are stood on 

 boards to prevent them touching the 

 bottom of the kettle, and the lids are 

 put on, but not fastened. The boiler 

 is stood on the stove and brought to 

 a boil; it is left on for twenty minutes 

 after coming to a boil. This cooks 

 the fruit thoroughly ; very soft fruit 

 will do with a little less. When the 

 jars are lifted out, a little boiling 

 water must be poured into them, so 

 as to fill them up, and they must 

 then be sealed immediately. This 

 is a very satisfactory way to do 

 strawberries, peaches and pears. — 



R. N. y. 



