4i 4 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



frost, or sufficiently covered with straw to exclude it, as in expensive structures ; 

 remembering that a damp floor is preferable for keeping late fruit to a dry airy loft, 

 and that cleanliness and sweetness are indispensable everywhere. 



GEA.DING FRUIT. 



The classification of fruit has much to do with its keeping, as well as its selling 

 value. All inferior and injured fruit should be kept by itself, the pecked and bruised 

 can then be used first ; but when the inferior fruits are packed away with the best, and 

 the damaged with the sound, trouble arises in sorting, good keeping is prevented, and 

 the value of the crop depreciated. Those persons who dispose of surplus fruit should 

 endeavour to render their wares as even in sample and as attractive as possible. The 

 term grading, as generally used, is applied to size alone, whereas assorting as to colour 

 is almost equally important. A great proportion of the fruit found in our markets and 

 that sent to fruiterers does not bring the price it would were it properly assorted. One 

 or two ill-shapen, unripe, or over-ripe (decaying) fruits will detract from a whole box of 

 the choicest apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, or plums, and no matter how fine 

 the others, a considerable reduction is made in the price. One decaying fruit spoils a 

 box intended to keep a few days. Green bunches of currants, or a hard or over-ripe 

 strawberry, when seen by a buyer, leads him to believe that there are others of the same 

 sort, in greater proportion, farther down in the basket. These small matters are apt to 

 be overlooked, but they ought not, for they are really of great importance. If fruit is 

 properly graded there can be no deceit in topping or facing. The prevalence of unfair 

 facing curtails the demand for fruit. There is only one way to pack fruit profitably and 

 creditably, and this, as a Californian fruit grower says, is to " Grade it; grade it care- 

 fully for size, colour, and ripeness. Every right-minded grower and packer should 

 insist upon trio grading, and should stamp all fruit packages as uniform, so that the 

 purchaser may be certain of the quality of his purchase. In this way honest growers 

 and packers can, in a measure, protect themselves and the public against those who 

 are unscrupulous and careless in their methods." 



IMPLEMENTS. 



These are essential for the satisfactory performance of the different operations in 

 preparing the soil, planting, pruning, and the general management of fruit trees. The 



