MARKETING THE CROPS 233 



punch as pickers deliver the grapes. Still another method is 

 to keep book accounts with each picker in which case payment 

 is made by the pound, each receptacle being put on the scales 

 as brought in from the field, credit being given for the number 

 of pounds. It is the duty of those in charge to see that each 

 picker finishes the row or the part of the row to which he is 

 assigned, and that he does not wander over the vineyard in 

 search of the best picking. 



Packing-houses and their appliances. 



The commercial grape-grower must have a house for packing 

 and storing. Houses differ in design and fitting for almost 

 every vineyard. Sometimes the house is a combination one 

 for packing and storing. Often the packing-house is a half- 

 way place between the vineyard and the shipping station, in 

 which case it is an open shed or a lightly constructed building. 

 In these field packing-houses there are usually no provisions for 

 storing. The better types of combined houses are provided 

 with a cellar for the storage of grapes, the first floor is used for 

 packing, and the attic provides a place for the storage of baskets 

 and crates. In all such houses provision must be made for 

 thorough ventilation, especially for the storage cellar if the 

 grapes are to be kept for any length of time. Properly ven- 

 tilated, the temperature of the grape cellar can be kept as low as 

 50 F. during September and October. The cellar floor in these 

 houses is usually of dirt better to regulate the moisture-content 

 of the room. Often the first floor is divided into two rooms, 

 one to be used for packing and the other as a shipping room. 

 A good combination packing-and-storage-house of this type 

 can be built for $1000 to $2000. Now that cold storage facilities 

 can be secured in most grape-growing regions, and the rates of 

 storage are becoming more reasonable, there is less need of 

 storage-houses. 



Packing-houses are so simple in construction and may be so 



