PACKING AND SHIPPING 443 



selecting material for shipping, it should be remembered 

 that the reputation of the firm is at stake. Few buyers 

 have time to select their stock of foliage and flowering 

 plants. The selection of cut-flower material must also be 

 left to the honesty of the shipper. Only matured plants 

 of first quality should be selected. Small plants of in- 

 ferior quality may later develop into first quality material. 

 Cut-flowers which have been recently cut should always 

 be selected, rather than material which has been in cold 

 storage for a considerable period. Mistakes in filling 

 orders should never occur. In large establishments, 

 experienced men fill all the orders and when correctly 

 placed in the packing room, their responsibility ends. . 



Plants shipped during the summer require, of course, 

 less protection than in winter, but it is necessary to guard 

 against the heating of plant-tissue in the crate. This is 

 especially injurious if it occurs in the crown of plants 

 with fine foliage. For summer shipments, open crates 

 are utilized. The plants may be rapped from the pots 

 and the soil and roots packed firmly, the tops being left 

 exposed to the free circulation of air. Thoroughly water 

 the plants before removing them from the pots. The 

 roots will then be supplied with sufficient moisture to 

 offset the amount lost through the foliage, by transpira- 

 tion, due to drafts or drying winds. Wrapping the soil 

 and roots in newspapers aids in keeping the soil well about 

 the roots and in retaining the moisture. 



736. Preparation of flowering plants for packing. - 

 Specimen plants and those whose root-systems are easily 

 injured are best shipped in pots. All plants should be 

 thoroughly watered a few hours before they are packed, 

 then the moisture conditions will be about right for pack- 

 ing and the soil not water-soaked. Flowering plants 



