desirable season. With the seedling apple, we would give full points for one 

 keeping into April or May. In soft fruits, the season of use should be long, 

 so that fruit will hold up well, and it should come at a time when that fruit 

 is likely to be in demand, or when there are no other desirable varieties. In 

 collections for home use, the season implies a long range, from early till late, 

 so that there should be a supply at all times throughout the year. In com- 

 mercial collections, the varieties should include the principal commercial kinds, 

 and especially those which come at a time of most demand. The commercial 

 collection should, in other words, give a succession of varieties most in demand 

 on the market at the times they are in demand. 



PACKAGE AND PACKING. 



For commercial fruit-production, packages and packing must be of the 

 highest standard. The package must be adaptable to the fruit, reasonable in 

 cost, sufficiently strong, and attractive 1 . The packages used in British Columbia 

 meet these requirements to a reasonable degree. Packing must result in a 

 compact, firm, full, attractive pack. This will be considered in detail under 

 the proper heading. 



PLATES OF APPLES OR PEARS. 



Size 15 



Colour 25 



Uniformity 25 



Form 15 



Freedom from blemishes and condition 20 



NOTE. Score-cards are not used for actual judging of plate fruits, except in the 

 closest competition. The judge can carry in his mind the relative importance of the 

 points mentioned. All judges are instructed, however, to use the score-card occa 

 sionally to secure harmony with it, and consequently uniformity. 



Size (15 points). Apples and pears should be of medium sizes. Jonathan 

 and Spitzenberg should be about 138's ; Snow and Cox's Orange, 175's ; Spy and 

 Mclntosh Red, 125's ; other dessert varieties in similar proportion. For show- 

 ing in the United States, choose fruits one to two sizes larger, because in that 

 country they have a fruit-stand trade that wants larger apples, and the 

 American apple-box takes slightly larger sizes of fruit to better advantage. 

 For Canadian conditions, we believe we are well advised in choosing the sizes 

 as above for British Columbia. It is in medium sizes that the greatest quality, 

 colour, and length of keeping are secured. There is a tendency in British 

 Columbia to grow apples and pears to the oversizes, especially because most 

 trees are young. In cooking varieties, larger sizes are demanded, as, for 

 example, 112's for Rhode Island Greening. Varieties such as Alexander, 

 Beitegheimer, and Wolf River, whose large size is their recommendation, 

 should be as large as possible, consistent with perfect colour, shape, freedom 

 from blemishes, and condition. Size is not the most important factor, how- 

 ever, for colour, uniformity, and freedom from blemish are each given a higher 

 score. Because it is such an obvious quality, however, it usually receives 

 undue consideration. In many of the newer fruit districts, where most of the 

 fruit shown is from young trees, consequently large and low-coloured, the 

 awarding of prizes to fruit of proper size and colour gave apparent prefer- 

 ence to the smallest fruit shown. Some exhibitors consequently went to the 

 opposite extreme, and concluded that the smallest fruit was most desired, and 

 were disappointed at the next exhibition on receiving no award against normal- 

 sized fruit. 



Pears are usually shown oversized; 2% inches in diameter is about correct 

 for the Bartlett, 2~y 2 inches for Flemish Beauty, and other varieties in pro- 

 portion. 



