No. 4.] S]\L\LL FRUITS AND BERRIES. 109 



Spraying outfits for small fruits ueed not be elaborate. 

 For large fields of strawberries a potato sprayer works very 

 well, while for bush fruits the barrel sprayer is sufficient for 

 areas up to 10 acres. For small plantations there is no better 

 outfit than the knapsack sprayer. The disc nozzles are best 

 for bush fruits, while the Bordeaux is best for strawberries. 



PicKiXG AND Marketing. 



These are the most important operations of all, for, while 

 great care may have been taken in the growing of the crop, if 

 the same or gTeater care is not exercised in the picking and 

 marketing, good fruit may be ruined and the result of a 

 year's labor lost. 



With the strawberry for local markets, the berries should 

 bo allowed to ripen thoroughly on the vines, but for long 

 shipment they should be picked before they begin to soften. 

 There is always a period of ripeness between the time a berry 

 turns red and the time it begins to soften, and it is only by 

 experience that one can tell this, so it is necessary to go over 

 the beds at least once a day and select all specimens which 

 are in one of these two classes. All sorting should be done 

 at the time of picking, as the strawberry does not stand up 

 well under table sorting. Clean, new packages should be 

 used and the 'No. 1 berries should be marketed in a different 

 type of package from the No. 2. A very convenient package 

 for the best berries is the 18 or 21 quart tray or 16-quart 

 crate. The second-grade berries can be handled in the 32- 

 quart crate. It is alwaj^s a good idea to have some distinc- 

 tive label for all fancy fruit, and this label should bear the 

 name of the grower, together with a statement of the con- 

 tents of the package, and in all cases the contents should 

 stand up to the label. We farmers have got to guarantee our 

 product just as much as the manufacturer does his goods, 

 and the sooner we pack an honest package and so label it 

 that the buyer knows what he is getting and can rely on the 

 statement on the label, just that much sooner may we hope 

 for an increased demand for our products and a satisfactory 

 price for them. 



It is very necessarj^ to instruct pickers in handling these 



