Tomatoes 81 



ing it possible to put the product on the Northern market 

 in somewhat better shape than when burlap covers are. 

 used. 



Cucumbers 



This crop is grown in the open in the Southern states 

 and in greenhouses in the north, for the winter and early 

 spring trade. In the Southern states the customary pack- 

 age is a one-third barrel veneer basket. The cucumbers 

 are cut from the vines and carried to the packing house 

 where they are sorted over and graded, so that each basket 

 contains specimens of uniform shape and size. The most 

 desirable market size during the early spring is for fruits 

 six to eight inches long. These are placed in the baskets 

 so as to lay flat, and packed in as firmly as possible. The 

 baskets are covered with a wooden lid made for the pur- 

 pose. 



Cucumbers grown under glass are generally packed in 

 boxes which are about eight inches deep and twenty-four 

 inches square, and are either stood on end in the box or 

 laid flat, according to the size and grade that is being 

 packed. 



Tomatoes 



When tomatoes are grown as a truck crop in the South 

 to be shipped to some distant market it is important to 

 pick the fruit as soon as the first coloring appears. The 

 fruit needs to be picked carefully, without the stem, and 

 taken to the packing shed in small baskets or boxes, 

 handled at all times in such manner as to prevent any 

 possible bruises or injury to the skin. 



In packing, only sound, perfect fruits should be used 

 and each package should contain as nearly as possible 

 fruits of the same shape, size and color. For fancy mar- 

 kets, or for long distance shipments, it is advisable to wrap 

 each fruit in a sheet of soft, white paper, upon which the 

 name of the grower should be neatly printed. 



The usual package in the South is the six-basket carrier 

 similar to the one that is used in some sections for packing 



