36 Lessons in Fruit Growing. 



40. Grading: and packing:. Orchard fruits are generally 

 assorted after picking. This work is preferably done in a 

 cool and dry place, and the fruit should have time to be- 

 come cool before it is packed for market, otherwise it is 

 liable to become moist in the package. The fruit is con- 

 veniently assorted on a table or counter, having a narrow 

 board nailed edgewise about the top to prevent the fruit 

 from rolling off. All surfaces touched by the fruit should 

 be covered with burlap or some other soft fabric. 



The number of grades made will depend much upon the 

 kind of fruit and the general quality of the crop, as well 

 as OD the purpose for which it is to be sold. If the finest 

 grade is intended to suit the most fastidious customers, and 

 to rank as "fancy," only faultless specimens should be 

 placed in it, and these should be of uniform, large size. 

 Such fruits may often be advantageously wrapped in tissue 

 paper, which tends to insure their arrival in the best con- 

 dition. With choice samples of the larger fruits, as the 

 finest varieties of pears, a package that gives a separate 

 space to each individual fruit will sometimes prove a good 

 investment. 



If the quality of the fruit will not justify a "fancy" 

 grade, the best grade should still contain only fruits fairly 

 uniform in size and maturity, and free from insect injuries 

 or other blemishes. Doubtful specimens should be put 

 into the lower grade rather than the higher. Two or more 

 varieties should never be mixed in the same package, ex- 

 cept in grades intended for manufactured products, as for 

 cider or evaporation. 



SUMMARY OF THE PRECEDING CHAPTER. 



1. An orchard site should be sufficiently elevated to give 

 good air drainage, and should slope, if at all, away from 



