PACKING AND SHIPPING 449 



ever, to ship roses, carnations, orchids and other flowers 

 hundreds of miles, and have them received in excellent 

 condition. 



743. Boxes. As a rule, wooden boxes are superior to 

 pasteboard. Pasteboard boxes are so pliable that, even 

 with the most careful handling, the flowers become 

 more or less bruised. Flowers should never be packed 

 so closely as to crush each other; on the other hand, 

 they should not be packed too loosely. Different species 

 of flowers require different methods of packing. There 

 are also several methods of packing the same species, 

 and growers differ as to which is preferable. Boxes 

 suitable for American Beauty roses would be ill suited 

 for carnations or violets. Each requires a box of a par- 

 ticular size and shape. 



744. Roses. For shipping roses of standard size, 

 the inside measurements of a convenient box are five 

 inches deep, twelve inches wide and five feet long. The 

 ends of the box are made of three-fourths-inch material, 

 and the bottom, sides and top of three-eighths-inch. Such 

 a box is light, convenient to handle, and roses may be 

 packed in it in such a way as to insure their transportation 

 without crushing. The bottom, ends and sides are first 

 lined with several thicknesses of newspaper, and a layer 

 of waxed paper is placed over them. If the roses are of 

 medium size, twenty-five are laid with their buds closely 

 together, on a piece of waxed paper which is about twelve 

 by fifteen inches. A sufficient pad of tissue paper should 

 be placed at the end of the box, so that the first layer of 

 blooms will not be crushed by crowding against the end. 

 The packing box is placed lengthwise in front of the 

 packer, and the first layer is placed with the buds point- 

 ing to the packer's left. If ice is used in packing, it 



2c 



