Cauliflower 1441 



and place it before the customer in a very desirable manner. The 

 great disadvantage is the lessened number in a barrel or box 

 and the heavier weight. The medium trim leaves the tops of the 

 leaves just flush with the crown. It is particularly adapted for 

 short journeys. There are more heads in each barrel. Short trim 

 heads are generally covered with a small piece of paper to protect 

 them. They are packed in a much better package than the other 

 types, and return a higher price on the market. 



PACKING 



The common practice on Long Island has been to use a second- 

 hand barrel, generally the sweet potato and the spinach barrel 

 shipped from the South. These are unattractive, often dirty, un- 

 sanitary receptacles, and have lost favor on the market. Buffalo 

 growers, by using a small, sanitary, attractive crate, have forced 

 the Long Island men to adopt the same measures in order to con- 

 tinue shipping cauliflower to the same market. The packing of 

 cauliflower in barrels consists of laying the heads right side up 

 and as snugly as possible in the barrel, making the butts of each 

 successive layer rest between the heads of the preceding. Another 

 method consists of placing the heads out towards the sides of the 

 barrel and inserting other heads in the middle. Generally from 

 twenty to twenty-four heads of long-cut flowers fill a barrel. 

 The barrel is crowned up eight inches above the top. It is then 

 covered with a piece of burlap, often a piece of fertilizer bag- 

 ging. Short-cut flowers packed in barrels require from thirty to 

 thirty-five heads, and the medium from twenty-five to thirty. 

 The barrel that sells the best on the Xew York market has been 

 one containing about twenty-five heads. 



The most satisfactory crate used has been one holding just 

 twelve heads. A row through the middle of the crate accommo- 

 dates four heads, flowers down, and on each side of this a row of 

 flowers heads up. A slat is preferred and one which can be in- 

 spected easily by the association. A very desirable box is used by 

 the Erie County Growers' and Shippers' Association, which con- 

 sists of a slat crate with planting sides holding from nine to twelve 

 flowers, according to the size. The crate costs about fourteen 



