194 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



instructed, not to take hold of the fruit itself, but to handle them by the 

 stems only. They may be shipped in baskets or in crates, but if the former 

 is used, the ten-pound veneer grape basket is preferable to one of the larger 

 size. For fine samples, such as we usually have of the Cherry or the Fay, 

 it pays to pack in the 24-qt. crate. Currants should be sold by the pound, 

 as 'indeed most fruits should be, but, so far in Canada, it is only the grape 

 that is marketed in that way. 



A GOOD SCUFFLE HOE. 



We have been trying in our vegetable 

 garden a new scuffle hoe, which is repre- 

 sented in our engraving, and find it to be a 

 really useful tool. The gardener says he has 

 not used one which he likes as well for work- 

 ing among little stuff. It can be used around 

 and under theleavesof plants without danger 

 of cutting them, and as soon as the plants 

 appear it can be used so close to them as to 

 cut every weed and yet not injure the small 

 fibrous roots. 



TIDY FRUIT PACKAGES. 



The great importance of a neat fancy 

 package in the sale of fruits is not yet by 

 any means fully understood by our growers. 

 Great improvements have been made in the 

 last few years, and especially since, by the 

 establishment of so many basket factories, 

 baskets are made so cheap that they can 

 one time the ugly wooden crate, dingy 



Fig. 50. — Scuffle Hoe. 



be sold with the fruit. At 

 with age and containing baskets marked with the juice of the previous 

 season's crop and musty with decayed fruit, was used quite commonly by 

 Canadian fruit growers ; but, happily, since the days of basket factories and 

 cheap gift packages, this state of things has disappeared. Still there is 

 room for improvement, and he who would attain the highest success must 

 keep abreast of the times, even in matters of detail. 



Careful handling by the pickers saves much labor in preparing the straw- 

 berry for market, because it is quite possible to have them trained to keep 

 the grade of uniform excellence, throwing out all under sized fruit or placing 

 it in a separate basket. 



Crates holdingsixteen or twenty-four quarts are the most convenient size and 

 seem to take best in the market, as the quantity is just about what is needed 

 in a family for preserving. The covers should fit closely to the fruit, and not 

 leave room for it to move about in transit. A great deal of harm is done to 



