PICKING 



21 



The work of choosing and preparing flowers and vegetables 

 for an exhibition is important, for it may add a public " Well 

 done !" to the season's work. 



Exhibitions of vegetables do not vary very much. Prizes 

 offered usually are for the best three, or four, or twelve, of one 

 thing and another; with quarts of beans or peas in pods, and 

 sometimes for the "best collection of vegetables, any number 

 of varieties." Size is sometimes important, but usually 

 quality is most considered. If the vegetable gardener is 

 wise, he has been studying his plants for some weeks, planning 

 which products 

 he can use. In- 

 deed, the spring 

 planting is often 

 done with the 

 exhibition in 

 mind, and much 

 of the cultiva- 

 tion has been 

 carried on with 

 the idea of hav- 

 ing the right 

 vegetables ready at the right time. When it comes to pick- 

 ing, there are certain things to remember. 



First, the vegetables should be of the proper size. They 

 should not be too small, nor, in the opinion of many judges, 

 too large. A monster pumpkin is all very well ; but when we 

 come to monster cucumbers, or celery, and certainly string 

 beans, the flavor is likely to be coarse. If more than one of a 

 kind is shown, the sizes should be, if possible, exactly the same. 



Second, the shape should be what is proper to the variety, 

 and not suggestive of another. In an exhibition of more than 

 one of a kind, the shapes should be alike. 



FIG. 15. GRADED POTATOES. 

 Which of these groups is the more attractive ? 



