238 



STRAWBERRIES 



to the plants just after the picking season is over, after the patch 

 has been cleaned up thoroughly. 



Picking Strawberries. — The home patch should be picked fre- 

 quently and no berries should be allowed to rot on the vines. 

 This practice would take away too much of the strength of the 

 plants. Most varieties of berries can be picked as soon as they 

 show half color or a little more. The calyx and perhaps a portion 

 of the stem should remain attached to the berries. This is the 

 natural separation from the plant in most cases. 



Fig. 165.- 



-Corn stalks make a rather coarse mulch for strawberries, but will aid in keeping 

 the berries clean. (New Jersey Station.) 



Never mass the berries in large vessels. They should be kept in 

 light wooden berry boxes holding one quart. In commercial pick- 

 ing, each picker is assigned to his own row and required to pick it 

 clean as he goes. The berry boxes are carried in shallow trays with 

 strong handles. These trays hold from ten to twenty quart boxes. 

 The grading and repacking is done at a central headquarters where 

 the wagons load them for market. Each picker is given a ticket in 

 the form of a tag tied to his crate or to his clothing. It is punched 

 by the foreman as each lot of berries is delivered to him. The pay 



