442 MarTceting, Storing, Drying 



jured by being left in the sun for a few hours or even 

 days ; but, as a rule, it is better to keep the vegetables in 

 partial shade, particularly such as remain green or soft 

 in their marketable stage. 



If one has any quantity of vegetables to handle, it is 

 necessary to have a packing-house or shed. In this place 

 there should be tables or counters on which the sorting or 

 grading can be performed. If possible, this house should 

 have a pit or cellar at one end in which vegetables can be 

 kept temporarily or even stored for the winter. The place 

 should be provided with pipe water, tubs or vats for wash- 

 ing vegetables, and devices for trimming, tying and 

 bunching. 



All vegetables not sold in bulk' on the general market 

 should be sorted and graded; and eVen the bulk products 

 are now graded, as potatoes. Grading contributes not 

 only to the appearance of the product, but also to the 

 snugness of packing. Vegetables like melons, tomatoes 

 and others used as table delicacies and accessories, are 

 usually sold by the smallest specimens in the package 

 rather than by the larger ones. If the specimens are sorted 

 into two grades, the smaller ones usually sell as well as the 

 mixed lot, and the larger ones sell much better. Since 

 the grading of vegetables is a matter of mental pattern, 

 the grade varies with every packer, and it is therefore 

 often difficult to secure sufficient uniformity to enable one 

 to sell his products under a trade-mark. However, if one 

 has uniform packages and gives close attention to the 

 details of the business, he should be able to establish a 

 series of grades that will be associated with his name in 

 the market. 



