248 FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



three storeys or layers of them may be packed into a 

 stronger box. 



PREPARING FRUIT FOR EXHIBITION. 



In preparing fruit for exhibition, a great amount of 

 careful and skilful generalship is required. Generally 

 speaking, the grower who has a large number of plants 

 to gather from on an exhibition eve, has a very great 

 advantage over the grower with only a few scores of 

 pots, more so than in the case of any other fruit. For 

 with the most careful thinning, it is well known to 

 every strawberry-forcer that each plant has generally 

 one or two very large fruits, while the remainder are 

 considerably less. Consequently the more numerous 

 the plants ripening fruit at one time, the more nu- 

 merous will be the monster strawberries. But size is 

 not all on the exhibition-table ; colour and flavour are 

 also very important points, which can only be attained 

 by free exposure to light and dry warm air. If 

 strawberries are grown with the intention of their 

 being prize-takers, a smaller number of fruit should 

 be allowed to each plant. Some may require being 

 retarded in cooler houses so as to keep back the first 

 and largest berries ; others may require a contrary 

 treatment to bring them forward to match the retard- 

 ed ones. 



Most growers have their own way of setting up or 

 dishing for exhibition. The most effective dish of 

 strawberries I ever remember of were laid singly in a 

 flat square basket, filled nearly to the top with wad- 

 ding and covered with tissue-paper. On this surface 

 the strawberries were laid with a small space between 

 each. Splendid fruits of any description can never 



