CHAPTER XLVI. 

 GRADING AND PACKING OF FRUIT FOR MARKET. 



By T. J. PouPART. 



It is almost with fear and trembling that 

 anyone dare approach this subject at any 

 time, but it was never so essential that 

 English growers should grade and pack 

 well as it is to-day, with growers in all 

 distant parts of the world competing for 

 the world's markets with produce graded 

 and packed as the consumer requires it. 

 So much has been said and written about 

 the packing and grading of fruit that 

 growers are apt to resent further pro- 

 nouncements on the topic. 



What is here offered for the perusal and 

 consideration of growers is not so much 

 in the nature of advice; rather it is a 

 collection of opinions resultant upon ob- 

 servations made in the course of handling 

 large quantities of fruit during many 

 variable seasons. 



If experience, admittedly the best of 

 all tutors, be highly valued, then the 

 opinion of a salesman who has closely 

 watched the preferences of a large com- 

 munity of buyers must at least be worth 

 consideration. Should just a few growers 

 benefit by the lessons learnt at Covent 

 Garden, the writer of these notes will not 

 have laboured in vain. The underlying 

 principle which has actuated these notes 

 might thus be epitomised " What Sells 

 Best," or, in other words, " What the Con- 

 sumer demands." 



Gooseberries. — Most growers do the 

 right thing in regard to gooseberries. 

 Very early fruit sells best, for a few only, 

 in 6lbs. chips, to be followed almost 

 directly with pecks containing 12lbs., 

 these again to be followed as soon as 

 prices reach a reasonable level by half- 

 bushels containing 28lbs. Some growers 

 may ask, why 28lbs. ? the answer being 

 24lbs. of gooseberries does not as a rule 

 fill a half-bushel, and a basket that has 

 the appearance of being badly filled is not 



in favour with buyers. Ripe berries, 

 either yellow or red, in the customary 

 half-bushel baskets, but special dessert 

 varieties, such as " White Lion," realise 

 better in punnets of lib. or chip handles 

 of 6lbs. 



Strawberries. — The first recommenda- 

 tion in regard to strawberries is to 

 forget that the peck has ever existed. 

 It is old-fashioned and is obsolete. 

 Several lots of fruit of exactly the same 



quality have always shown a worse net 

 result when packed in pecks than in the 

 packages about to be recommended. 

 Please bear in mind these remarks con- 

 cern strawberries only, and subsequent 

 recommendations of the peck must not 

 be considered contradictory. 



(1) Finest fruit grown within a distance 

 which admits of conveyance to market by 

 road is best suited to punnets. It should 

 be packed in punnets of lib. exact weight, 

 the punnets to be placed in cases or boxes 

 holding 12 or 24. 



(2) Good medium fruit is sold to ad- 

 vantage in 4lbs. to 6lbs chips. These 

 should take the place of pecks. Growers 

 may cavil at the expenditure of a few 

 pence on a package, but it will repay 

 them handsomely, as a better price is ob- 

 tained for the fruit, and the salesman 

 will be able to show better results. 



Each grower should take special care 

 so as to mark his consignments that they 

 are easily distinguishable. To achieve 



