— 29 — 
PACKING. 
The final operation in the handling of the prune is packing, and here 
again great judgment is required in putting up a thoroughly good 
article, that will present an attractive appearance and force its way on 
the market. Great care must be exercised that no fruit be packed until 
all surplus moisture between the fruit has entirely disappeared, for if 
packed while damp the fruit will mold in the packages; at the same 
time all fruit that is overdried must be thrown out. The skillful packer 
can tell by the sense of touch just what fruit is fit for packing, and that 
which is not, as he runs his fingers over the piles before him. Much of 
the fruit is packed in boxes of ten, twenty-five, and fifty pounds each, 
but of late there is a growing demand for fruit in sacks, and large 
quantities are now shipped East in hundred-pound sacks, where it is 
either boxed by the Eastern dealer or sold direct from the sacks to the 
consumer. 
