FRUITS 211 



should be picked in smooth buckets, and hauled direct 

 to the packing house without receiving other han- 

 dling. 



At the packing house the fruit is sorted into two 

 or more grades, and then packed for shipment. The 

 package most used at the South is a light crate, hold- 

 ing six four-quart veneer baskets. If the market is 

 more than twenty-four hours distant, refrigerator 

 transportation is almost essential. With proper refrig- 

 eration peaches may safely be shipped for four or five 

 days, or even somewhat longer. To secure the best 

 results it is of great importance to get the fruit into 

 the cars as quickly as possible after it is picked. 

 Early failures with refrigeration were largely due to 

 the attempt to refrigerate fruit which was already 

 overripe. Peaches are usually consigned to fruit 

 dealers to be sold on commission. They are so per- 

 ishable that dealers dislike to take the risk of buying 

 them at the point of shipment. However, buyers visit 

 the principal producing centers each season, and often 

 take considerable quantities. 



At the South peaches are mostly grown for ship- 

 ment in the fresh state. At some points canning and 

 evaporating plants have been established, but these, 

 as a rule, only work up the poor grades. In the more 

 remote country districts peaches are still sometimes 

 fermented and distilled into brandy. 



An immense number of varieties are in cultivation, 

 but they can be grouped into five principal classes or 

 races. First, the Persian, which includes the Craw- 

 ford, and many other varieties that have been longest 

 in cultivation at the North. Second, the North China 



