4:0 THE STRAWBERRY CULTTJRIST. 



When large quantities are to be packed, it is best to have some 

 hands taking up the plants while others are packing. Take up the 

 plants with a trowel or fork and throw them Into a box, and so soon 

 as a few hundred are up, carry them into the packing -house, count 

 them and tie twenty-five in a bundle, using bass bark for strings, as 

 this is cheap and convenient, and does not cut the plants if drawn 

 tight. 



Twenty-five is a convenient number to hold in the hand while 

 counting, and is quickly tied ; besides, the smaller the bundle the 

 less liable are the" plants to heat if they have to remain long together, 

 and four bundles making a hundred, they are readily counted. 



When the requisite number are ready, pack them in boxes that 

 are from six to eight inches deep, placing a layer of damp moss in the 

 bottom and against the side. When you commence putting in a 

 layer of bundles, set them upright, and then put in another thin 

 layer of moss, and so on until the box is full. Then nail slats of two 

 or three inches wide across the top, leaving a space of about an inch 

 between to give air and light to the plants, and so that the express- 

 man or other carrier may see what he has in his care, and that it is 

 perishable. 



Common boot and shoe boxes, divided lengthwise, are convenient 

 and light besides, they can usually be bought very cheap. 



When many thousand plants are to be sent in one order, larger 

 boxes may be used, and several layers of plants put in ; but if they 

 are to be sent to any great distance, a single layer is all that is^afe 

 to place in one box. The purchaser had better pay for more boxes 

 and more freight, and have his plants delivered in good order. 



One great error with most packers of plants is, that they do not 

 make any calculation as to how long the plants are likely to be on 

 their journey, and pack all alike, whether they are to be one day or 

 one month reaching their destination. This should not be, for the 

 plants that are to be many days in the boxes should have more care 

 than .those that are to remain there but a short tune. The moss 

 used in packing should contain more water, that the plants may be 

 supplied with moisture sufficient to prevent wilting, but not enough 

 to cause them to rot. There is, however, but little danger of plants 



