238 MANUAL OF AMERICAN GRAPE-GROWING 



putting on the cover. In all this work, the berries are handled 

 as little as possible, so as not to destroy the bloom. Care is 

 taken, also, that the fruit is free from spraying material and is 

 otherwise clean and fresh. Much less pains need be taken when 

 the grapes are' packed in trays to be sold by weight, but even in 

 this there must be method in filling the trays, otherwise there 

 will be many open spaces and corners between bunches. 



Practically all commercial grape-growers now use labels on 

 their packages. These not only add to the attractiveness of 

 the packages, but are a guarantee of the contents, both as to 

 name of the variety and the quality of the fruit. These labels 

 are, also, a sign by which a grower's fruit may be distinguished 

 and are, therefore, a valuable advertising medium. Some 

 growers have registered their labels in the United States 

 Patent Office in order to prevent others from using them. 

 Obviously, it is not desirable or worth while to label a poor 

 grade of grapes. 



Storing grapes. 



The commercial grape-grower now stores his grapes in cold 

 storage warehouses if he keeps them any length of time after 

 harvesting. There is no question but that keeping a part of 

 the crop in artificially cooled houses is a great benefit to the 

 grape-grower, since it prolongs the season for selling by some 

 three or four months. Formerly, native grapes could be secured 

 in general markets only until Thanksgiving time or thereabouts, 

 but now American grapes are very generally offered for sale in 

 January and February, while the European grapes from Cali- 

 fornia are in the market nearly the year around. The grape- 

 grower need make little or no preparation of his product in 

 putting it in cold storage except to make sure that the product 

 is first class in every respect. It would be a waste of money 

 and effort to attempt to store any but clean, sound, well- 

 matured, well-packed grapes. The grape-grower, however, 



