324 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



to get the most out of the crop the trees are 

 thinned of their largest fruits as soon as 

 salable size is reached. The operation is 

 repeated when another picking is ready. In 

 this way finer fruit is secured and larger 

 returns obtained for the entire crop than 

 would be possible if the fruit was all removed 

 at one picking. 



Handle soft fruits very carefully. — Plums 

 and cherries are picked with stems on. The 

 picker should grasp the stem and take care 

 not to separate it from the fruit as this 

 encourages rot. In picking peaches the 



ural bloom of the fruit which adds so much 

 to its beauty. 



A fruit house should be so constructed as to 

 preserve an even temperature. — Storage 

 houses are of two types : First, those 

 which modify but do not regulate extremes 

 of temperature, and second, those which 

 furnish definite low temperatures. Houses 

 of the first class are generally within the 

 means of the commercial fruit grower. 

 Those of the second belong to the equip- 

 ment of the fruit dealer. The ordinary stor- 

 age house is probably a frame building pro- 



FiG. 2124. The Depot Packing House. 



fruit should be seized firmly with ball of 

 thumb and inside (not ends) of fingers and 

 detached by turning it to one side. Straw- 

 berries should be without white tips and 

 fully colored when picked. The stem is 

 pinched off by the finger and thumb. Rasp- 

 berries, blackberries and dewberries are of 

 course picked without hulls, although when 

 a fancy trade is catered to, red raspberries 

 are sometimes picked with hulls on. In 

 picking currants the entire cluster should be 

 removed. In every case the picker should 

 use his best endeavor to preserve the nat- 



vided with a well drained cellar and having 

 perfectly insulated walls and double doors. 

 Insulation is secured by providing two or 

 more air spaces in the walls. These air 

 spaces should be separated by paper-covered 

 partitions. Comparatively low temperatures 

 in these buildings may be secured in the fall 

 by keeping them tightly closed during the 

 warm part of the day and ventilating only 

 on cool nights. Fruit houses of this char- 

 acter will also keep out frost so that the 

 grower may hold his fruit till a favorable 

 opportunity for selling occurs. Dry air 



