178 HORTICULTURIST'S RULE-BOOK. 



tling. See that the packages are full when they leave the 

 packing-house. Care must be exercised not to rub the 

 bloom off grapes and plums. Grape clusters should have 

 all imperfect berries cut away before packing. If berries 

 are picked when dry, and cooled off before packing, they 

 may be shipped in tight unventilated packages. 

 Chautauqua grape figures. The grapes are shipped in 

 9-pound Climax baskets, which weigh, when not filled, 

 including cover, 24 ounces, holding 7| pounds of grapes. 

 A carload is 2800 to 3000 baskets. The railroads count 

 222 baskets to the ton. A girl will pack from 100 to 150 

 baskets per day. One cent per basket is paid for packing. 

 An average acre of Concord grapes yields about 500 baskets. 

 The average annual cost of cultivating the vineyard up to 

 picking time is $ 8. The expense of picking, packing, pack- 

 ages, and carting is about $ 28 for the 500 baskets. The 

 bunches are cut from the vines with shears made for the 

 purpose. In the packing-house the bunches are trimmed. 



Dates at which Various Fruits and Nuts appear in Northern 

 Markets. {From New England Grocer.) 



NUTS. Peanuts, about the first of November. 



Walnuts French, Naples, and Grenoble about the middle 

 of November. 



Pecans, about the same time as walnuts. 



Filberts, about the first of November. 



Castanas (Bertholletia or Brazil-nut), early in March. 



Almonds, shelled about October first, and Ivica and Prin- 

 cess about forty -five days later. 



Shellbarks, October first. 



Baracoa cocoanuts begin to come during the latter part of 

 March and the first of April. 



Chestnuts, late in September. 



DRIED FRUITS. Citron (Leghorn), October first. 



Currants, the middle of October. 



Dates, Fard about the middle of November, and Persian 

 about December 12. 



