Small Fruits and Orchard Fruits 363 



in bulk, depending upon the quality of the fruit and the 

 tone of the market. Progressive growers invariably use 

 attractive boxes for shipping. Before packing for mar- 

 keting, all fruits should be carefully graded. Large 

 apples mixed with small apples sell at the price of the small 

 apples. The varieties should not be mixed in the pack- 

 ages. In grading consideration should be given to uni- 

 formity of size, color, soundness, and ripeness. In harvest- 

 ing and marketing peaches and plums, great care should 

 be taken to avoid bruising the fruits. 



540. The Pome Fruits include the apple, pear and 

 quince. The apple is the most important fruit of the 

 temperate region. The wide variation in the maturing 

 periods of the many varieties, the adaptability of the 

 fruit to keeping and transportation, and the productive- 

 ness and long life of the trees make it the most widely 

 known fruit. It is grown commercially in nearly every 

 section except in the extreme South. 



541. The Pear is a fruit of great flavor and pro- 

 ductiveness but is not so widely cultivated. They are 

 not generally grown in the extreme North or upper plains 

 region, but are popular in the more southern regions. 

 Pears are much grown in arid regions where irrigation 

 conditions occur. The quince is confined to the lake 

 region and states farther east. 



542. Apple Trees will need some pruning every 

 year. The early pruning is for the purpose of making 

 the head form low. If the trees are kept low much expense 

 is saved in thinning and harvesting, and the spraying is 

 much easier to do. The pruning of old trees will be for 

 the purpose of removing dead or diseased limbs and thin- 

 ning out the interior limbs to admit light, to encourage 

 the formation of fruit spurs on the interior branches. 



