The Canadian Horticulturist. 4 1 



not fruited yet. Among the sour cherries none have been more profitable than 

 Montmorency Ordinaire, and English Morello. The Early Richmond bore 

 heavily when young, but now trees that are 12 or 15 years old, healthy and 

 thrifty, blossom full and bear but little fruit. For five or six years after they 

 came in bearing, the Elkhorns were my most profitable cherry, but lately they 

 are dying out without any apparent cause. The May Duke seems a short-lived 

 tree. The fruit is better for family use than for market ; because the crop ripens 

 so unevenly, thus necessitating several pickings. 



Packages. — Until recently I used five and ten-pound baskets, now I use a 

 crate containing shallow boxes which are filled from the bottom, thus expediting 

 packing so that the stems are covered when the package is opened for inspection. 



General Remarks. — Sweet cherries here are not so sure a crop as the 

 sour, but the fruit usually sells for a higher price. The main causes of loss of 

 crop are cold storms or frost while in bloom, and rot. Moist, hot weather will 

 sometimes destroy an entire crop three days before it is fit for market. I have 

 known cherries to be perfectly sound when picked in the morning, appear 

 streaked when shipped at evening, and nearly all rotten the next morning in 

 market. The English Morello, and perhaps some other sour cherry trees, are 

 subject to black knot. It appears to be identical with that on the plum tree. 

 The free use of the pruning-knife has been my only treatment. So far it has 

 been successful, as I have lost no trees, and the disease is nearly eradicated. — 

 R. N. Y. j 



Slatted Boxes.— The boxes here illustrated are the cheapest ones we 

 make, says A. I Root, in Handling Farm Produce, and the ones that sell best. 



For the ends we use six slats instead of boards 

 crosswise, thus making them open on the ends 

 as well as the sides. These are used for toma- 

 toes, apples, cucumbers, etc. In fact, there is 

 no fruit or vegetable of about this size or larger 

 that could not be handled in these crates. They 

 are as cheap to ship garden stuff to market in 

 as the ordinary barrels and crates, besides being 

 much lighter and neater. The above cut shows 



Fig. 502. -Slatted Boxes. the manner in which the boxes are P acked f ° r 



shipment. 



Peaches for shipment should be permitted to become fully grown before 

 being taken from the tree, but not mellow. They should be packed either in 

 third bushel boxes or baskets, such as are used in Michigan, holding about half 

 a peck, with tarleton stitched over them, the top protected by a cover made of 

 slats, with strips to rest upon the ends of the baskets. This package can be piled 

 one upon another as high as the top of the car, and is a very handy family sized 

 basket. 



