182 THE CANADIAN IIORTICULTUEIST, 



with a horse and wagon keeps busy bringing these to the packing 

 house and taking out empty baskets. 



"How do you pack 1" Well, we have packing benches about as 

 high as a table, and so inclined that peaches will easily roll down. 

 The packers empty the baskets upon these benches, and after picking 

 out all soft and decayed peaches into ore basket and all small ones 

 into another, the rest are then allowed to run off into a third basket. 

 As fast as filled they are passed over to the sewing tables, where they 

 are covered with gauze and ticketed. The small size are marked with 

 a figure 2, any yery choice are marked " Select." They are then ready 

 for drawing away to the express depot. 



"And how do y-oti sell tlie fruit?" My plan is to consign it to 

 some first-class commission house. 1 know many large growers dis- 

 tribute their own fruit, and perhaps it pays best, but it is a great deal 

 of trouble. I am sure I find more than enough to do in overseeing 

 the picking, packing and shipping without also adding the great toil 

 ^nd anxiety of making sales and collecting accounts. 



Prudens said little, but I could see he did not fall in with my way. 

 •Commission men in his opinion too often take advantage of you, or 

 neglect your goods until they have sold tlieir own. He prefers to sell 

 them himself and know what he is getting for each lot. But I think 

 that he will change his niind somewhat if he ever becomes a very 

 ^extensive grower. 



Manure for Orchards. — There is one thing which Ignorant does 

 that surprises me. Whenever -an old horse dies he pitches it into the 

 lake or buries it in the earth. It puts me in mind of the way the 

 ■Lower Canadian French farmers used to do. When the manure piles 

 :got so large about their stables that they could not get in or out, they 

 would make a bee to pitch them into the river. Ignorans might as 

 well bury twenty dollars in gold where it would be of no use t© 

 •any one. I am snre the old carcass would be W'orth that much to his 

 ^orchard if he would use it rightly. I have seen it stated that a dead 

 horse will convert twenty tons of peat into valuable manure, and I 

 Relieve it is true. I tried a similar plan once and was much gratified 

 with the result. I left the heap over the carcass for a few months, 

 -and then turned it up together. When I applied it to the trees I was 

 astonished to see the effect. The growth made was simply marvellous, 



