SMALL-FRUITS AND THE GRAPE 209 



305. Harvesting and packing. The picking of the berries 

 at the correct time and proper packing of them are essential 

 to commercial success. Strawberries are graded as they are 

 picked, and are placed in quart, pint, or half-pint boxes. 

 Sometimes the berries of the top layer are packed obliquely 

 in the box with the stems downward and the tips all pointing 

 one way. Fancy packs of this sort bring a better price in 

 certain markets than the ordinary packages. In the picking, 

 strawberries should not be pulled from the calyx, but the 

 stem should be pinched off so that a small portion is left with 

 the berry. Berries to be sold in the local market can be 

 picked quite ripe, but those to be shipped must be slightly 

 green. Some varieties ship better than others. Advice as 

 to the best varieties to grow in any particular section can be 

 obtained from local nurserymen, and from the state experi- 

 ment stations. 



306. Insects and diseases of the strawberry can be con- 

 trolled by rotation of crops, burning, and spraying. 1 



307. Everbearing strawberry. Of late years much in- 

 terest has been shown in everbearing strawberries. This sort 

 bears fruit more or less continually from the usual time in 

 early summer until frost kills the blossoms in the autumn. 

 They bear especially well during the fall months. Everbear- 

 ing strawberries are of special value in frosty localities, for 

 although frost may kill the early blossoms of the season, 

 more will be produced later, as is not the case with the 

 ordinary kinds. The everbearing strawberry is usually- grown 

 in matted rows. Its culture is the same as for the other kinds. 



THE BLACKBERRY 



308. Origin. The common blackberry grows wild in 

 many parts of the country. Formerly most of the blackber- 

 ries were obtained from the wild, but with the increase in 



1 For a detailed account the student is referred to Fletcher's Strawberry- 

 Growing. 



