PREPARATION FOR GATHERING FRUIT. 267 



dozen of the larger varieties of Strawberries will fill one 

 of these Jersey baskets. 



The Easpberry baskets formerly used in New York 

 State, were mainly of this style, but a little larger ; other 

 kinds of baskets are now rapidly coming into use, and it 

 is to be hoped that our small fruits will soon all be sold 

 by measure, and not by the basket, regardless of its size, 

 whether it be the size of a thimble, or will hold a half 

 pint or pint, as formerly. 



Baskets or boxes holding a pint or quart, full measure, 

 are most in vogue at the present time, and new patterns 

 are constantly being brought forward, each claiming to be 

 an improvement upon its immediate predecessor. 



With most of the small fruits ventilation is requisite to 

 preservation for even a very short time, and this very 

 essential point has not been lost sight of by the manufac- 

 turers of most of the new boxes or baskets now before 

 the public. 



When fruit is only to be transported a short distance, 

 and will reach the consumer within twelve or fifteen hours 

 after being gathered, ventilation, farther than that which 

 it will receive through an open crate, is not very import- 

 ant, or scarcely necessary. 



The idea of ventilation applied to baskets or boxes is a. 

 good one, particularly for some kinds of fruit, but there 

 is no necessity of carrying it to extremes, so that the ves- 

 sels made for holding fruit are scarcely more than fragile 

 wooden nets. 



The following are some of the most popular baskets 

 LOW in use at the East : 



American Basket. 



This basket is made of two sizes, quarts and pints, and 

 of the form shown in figure 109. They are very strong, 

 of neat appearance, and one of the best baskets with 



