PACKING AND SHIPPING 447 



first. A very essential point in packing is to have the 

 plants so firmly packed that they cannot move in ship- 

 ment ; at the same time, the tops must be protected 

 against injury by over-crowding. In packing, the finished 

 crate should always be light enough to be handled easily 

 during transportation. If the shipment is large, it is 

 much better to have several crates, rather than one 

 heavy one. This insures much more careful handling 

 by express companies. 



739. Shipping by freight or express. As a rule, it is 

 much better to ship plants by express than by freight. 

 This is especially true in cold weather, but even in warm 

 weather, the plants are liable to become dried out if 

 delayed, and often the reduced expense of transportation 

 by freight would be offset by the loss of a shipment. 



740. Shipping field-grown plants. Frequently it is 

 necessary to pack and ship field-grown plants, such as 

 carnations and violets. The plants should be dug in the 

 early morning and placed in a cool shed. This is to re- 

 duce the temperature of the plants sufficiently so they 

 will not heat in transportation. In packing carnations, 

 boxes from twenty-four to thirty inches wide, and suffi- 

 ciently deep to hold the plants without injury to the tops, 

 are considered best. 



Before packing carnation plants, a layer of well-mois- 

 tened sphagnum moss is placed in the bottom of the box. 

 The box is then tilted to an angle of about forty-five 

 degrees and the plants laid firmly in place. The plants 

 are packed securely and a little moss is placed around the 

 roots: The tops, however, are partly exposed so that 

 an abundance of air may reach them, still sufficiently 

 protected to guard against being wilted by the sun or by 

 drafts of air. 



