46 VEGETABLE GROWING. 



The arrangement should be such that the crop does 

 not have to be lifted at each successive handling. It 

 is easier to lift a crate of vegetables from a bench than 

 it is to place it on the bench. Most laborers will do 

 more efficient work when not tired than after they be- 

 come tired. A tired laborer works to the detriment 

 of the grower whether the pay is " by the box V or by 

 the day. The packing season is a busy one, and la- 

 borers are often hard to obtain ; if, then, four labor- 

 ers can do the work of five, there will be that much 

 more for profit or margin for investment. 



The practice of packing poor products in the centre 

 of the crate cannot be too strongly condemned, and 

 the persons who make a practice of this usually reap 

 the reward, Too often, however, they at the same 

 time do a great injury to their neighbor. " Honesty 

 is the best policy." 



HOW TO MAKE A CRATE. 



The material for making crates is supplied at such 

 reasonable figures that it does not pay a vegetable - 

 grower to work up his own lumber. The ordinary 

 vegetable crates are made of rough lumber, but some 

 of the tomato crates, which are used for the fancy ar- 

 ticles, are very tastefully made of dressed lumber. A 

 bushel crate is eight inches by fourteen inches by two 

 feet. These usually have a partition in the middle, 

 but for some vegetables, as English peas or string 

 beans, this is not necessary, but possibly profitable. 

 These pieces may be obtained already cut to size, con- 

 sequently all that is left for the vegetable-grower to do 

 is to nail them together. The ends are eight by four- 

 teen inches, and have the corners cut off so as to make 

 it eight-sided. The sides are made of quarter inch ma- 

 terial, three inches wide. 



