General Considerations. 15 



only be picked while the skin is dry, as a rule, and should 

 never be permitted to become wet after picking, for moist- 

 ure on the skin promotes decay. Nor should picked fruit 

 be exposed to the sun's rays in warm weather. The more 

 tender the fruit, the more important is it to observe these 

 precautions. As a rule, the sooner fruit can be removed 

 to the packing or storing house after picking, the better. 



17. Grading: and packing:. First impressions are potent 

 in forming judgment, hence fruit exposed for sale should 

 be put up to present the finest appearance consistent with 

 honest packing. Uniformity of size and quality in the 

 package promotes a favorable impression, hence fruits 

 should be graded, so far as practicable, and different grades 

 should be separately packed. An intelligent buyer seldom 

 offers much more for an ungraded package of fruit than he 

 regards the poorer samples worth, hence the better speci- 

 mens sell for less than their value. If the quality is uni- 

 form throughout the package, an artistic arrangement of 

 the specimens on the exj^osed part is legitimate and com- 

 mendable. 



18. Packinghouses. Where large quantities of fruits 

 are grown, a building will be needed for packing and tem- 

 porary storage. The character of this building will depend 

 somewhat upon the time the fruit is expected to remain in 

 it. If the building is to serve the purpose of a winter store- 

 house for long-keeping fruits, it should be provide.' with a 

 cellar that can be kept from freezing in severe weather. It 

 is also desirable to have a compartment connected with the 

 packing house for the storage of package material, but this 

 is generally a second-story room. The size of the building 

 will of course depend much upon the amount of fruit pro- 

 duced. It should be arranged with reference to conven- 



