368 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



the fruit immediately it leaves the packers' 

 hands, so that any defects may be made good 

 before the package is finally secured. The 

 machine employed may be either at the end 

 of the packing- table, or close to where the 

 fastening-down is done; but the former is the 

 better method, as a few fruits can be kept 

 there to fill up as required. There are plenty 

 of well-constructed machines to select from, but 

 the platform steelyard types are the more 

 generally useful, and can be had to weigh up 

 to 7 cwts. and graduated to \ lb. It is seldom, 

 in regard to ordinary fruit packages, that it is 

 necessary to weigh up to more than 2 cwts. 

 Some of these machines are constructed on low 

 roller wheels, so that they can be moved about 

 readily from place to place, and such portable 

 machines are very useful in many establish- 

 ments, though they cost somewhat higher prices. 

 But good machines can be had for £4 or £5; 

 the ordinary type can be had as low as £2. 



Packages. — Before discussing the various 

 forms of packages suitable for fruits it will 

 be necessary to give some consideration to a 

 few essentials which have an important bear- 

 ing on ultimate results. First, there is the 

 question of cost, which must be a leading 

 factor in all commercial undertakings where 

 the packages employed are not to be returned 

 to the sender. For home use, namely, in pri- 

 vate gardens where the boxes, cases, or baskets 

 are sent to and fro frequently, strength is the 

 main object, and the cost must be a subsidiary 

 consideration. Similarly, where a grower pro- 

 vides baskets or large boxes, or where the 

 salesman supplies the baskets, which have to 

 be returned when empty, the cost is too great 

 to allow cf their being given with the fruit. 

 But there is an increasing tendency to favour 

 the non-returnable packages because they effect 

 a saving of labour for growers and salesmen, 

 as well as being a decided benefit to the pur- 

 chaser. Wherever boxes or baskets can be 

 procured at from Id. to Is. each, suitable for 

 the kind and quality of the fruit they are 

 intended to contain, it is far better to reckon 

 this as part of the necessary expenses, provided 

 the prices obtainable allow sufficient margin, 

 and it will often be found to } T ield a distinct 

 gain in the end. 



Strength must have attention also, but this 

 must be taken in conjunction with weight, for 

 any undue increase in the latter will result in 

 an addition to the cost of carriage, which 

 means a proportionate reduction in the net 

 profits. At the same time, having in view the 



risk attending parcels sent by train in Britain, 

 it is wise to have the packages well tested 

 before investing very largely in them, or en- 

 trusting bulks of choice fruit to them. 



Appearance is an indispensable consideration 

 where the markets and the general public have 

 to be studied. Neat boxes or baskets of a size 



I that can be readily carried by a retail purchaser 

 always command attention in shops, and there 

 is ample room for an extension of this mode 

 of increasing sales. It has been well said that 

 good fruit is worth any reasonable care in pre- 



| senting it to the public, as it is sure to bring 

 satisfaction, but it is a profitless task to try to 

 foist inferior fruits on the market by means of 

 attractive packages. 



Uniformity of style and sizes is equally an 

 advantage to the seller and buyer, especially 

 when the exact number and weight of the con- 

 tents is stamped on the box, as this, if honestly 

 adhered to, results in a confidence that ensures 

 a trader both reputation and business. There 

 is also an advantage, in the packing for journeys 

 by rail or sea, in economizing space and secur- 

 ing the safety of the consignments. But if a 

 grower has made a speciality of any kind or 

 quality of fruit, he may occasionally find it to 

 his advantage to adopt a distinct kind of pack- 

 age, which has somewhat the same effect as a 

 well -displayed advertisement. But it should 

 always be in good taste, and artistic rather 

 than eccentric. 



Labels of all kinds should be rather large 

 than otherwise, and boldly printed to indicate 

 the fruit contained in the package, its destina- 

 tion, and the route by which it is to travel. 

 They should be preferably nailed on the upper 

 side of boxes, and for baskets should be of the 

 stoutest material, and firmly secured with wire 

 or strong cord. Much delay, annoyance, and 

 loss is caused by labels being indistinct, or by 

 their becoming detached from the packages. 



Boxes. — The manufacture of boxes for fruit- 

 carriage is becoming an industry of some im- 

 portance, and it is likely to develop consider- 

 ably in the future. We are only following 

 our Continental and American friends in this 

 matter, instead of leading as we should have 

 done, for then we might have kept a better 

 control over our markets. For small quanti- 

 ties of Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, Apricots, 

 Peaches, Gooseberries, Currants, and Straw- 

 berries, boxes are well adapted, provided in 

 every case that the fruit is not overripe, and 

 that all the small and softer fruits are placed 

 only in the smaller -size boxes. There is one 



