CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDEXIXO. 



342 



both hands over the hunch towards the lower end. 

 Then take a strip of wadding, four inches by twelve, 

 place it against the bunch to form a division ; lay in 

 another double sheet of paper, and proceed by laying 

 the next bunch with the shoulders in the opposite 

 direction, turn up the ends of the paper as before, 

 and draw the second bunch close to the first. Add 

 another strip of wadding, and repeat until the box is 

 full, when by raising it to a sharper angle the weight 

 of the fruit, aided by very slight pressure with the 

 fingers, will make room for another bunch. Fill all 

 vacancies round the sides by forcing moss between 

 the wood and the lining ; fold the upstanding ends of 

 the paper evenly over the fruit, secure the lid with 

 two small nails, enclose the record of the weight, 

 and cord each box singly or two together. Wadding 

 must be used with great care, and on no account be 

 put in contact with the gTapes. 



Lady Downes, Alicantes, and other kinds ha\dng 

 long, tapering bunches, may be treated as Muscats, 

 placing them transversely across the box ; but it is 

 not necessary to place anything between them, as 

 they are less susceptible to bruising; indeed, the 

 tighter and closer these kinds are pressed together 

 the better they travel. Lady Downes, unless very 

 fine indeed, do not require a six-inch box ; but it 

 simplifies the matter of packing if all the boxes are 

 of uniform size, and the unnecessary depth may be 

 reduced by increasing the thickness of the layer of 

 moss at the bottom. The bunches of the kinds that 

 lie transversely across the box should not, however, 

 touch the paper, which should be di-awn tightly over 

 the top of the box, and retain its position by being 

 nailed down with the lid. 



The key-stone of success in adopting the foregoing 

 system lies in the use of dry, soft moss, the cheajDCst 

 and best material for general packing, and this 

 should be forced down between the sides of the box 

 and the paper until it begins to form an arch near 

 the lid, when the boxes may be turned upside down 

 without injury to the grapes. 



Grapes for Exhibition. — Experienced ex- 

 hibitors and obsei'vant visitors to the great fruit 

 shows are often pained by the untidy way in which 

 good examples of grape culture are sometimes set up, 

 or the careless manner in which they are conA^eyed to 

 the tents. The grape-grower who wishes to succeed 

 must not only be able to finish his fruit on the A-ines, 

 but must also be able to convey it without spot or 

 blemish to the most distant part of the country. He 

 must not be above spending a night with his cases in 

 a luggage van, neither must he be afraid of showing 

 a firm front when hasty midnight changes take 

 place on crowded platforms. Visitors to the great 

 exhibitions little think of the watchful care- and 



anxiety which have been devoted to the transit 

 alone of a stand of spotless grapes ; and as many ot 

 our confrhres seem little better informed, a few hmts 

 on setting up and exhibiting may not be out of 

 place. 



Years ago it was the custom to show grapes on 

 dishes or in flat boxes, but now they are invariably 

 set up, or rather suspended, on stands specially 

 prepared for the purpose (Fig. 27). The bunches, 

 it will be seen, are resting on a sloping board or 

 stand, some fourteen to eighteen inches in height, and 

 of convenient length for carrying from one to three 

 bunches. "NMien a greater number of bunches form 

 one exhibit, it is best to use two or more stands of 

 imiform height, as three or at most fom- bunches are 

 sufficient for one stand. In order to show the 

 grapes to the best advantage, and to convey them 

 with the greatest degree of safety, the sloping part 

 of the. stand should be more upright than they are 

 sometimes made, as there is then less danger of the 

 berries moving or the shoulders of the bunches 

 falling back on the stand. The sloping part of the 

 stand should be first covered with a sheet of wadding, 

 and then with a sheet of silver paper for black 

 grapes, and pink paper for white ones, neatly turned 

 under the edges, and secured with small tacks. The 

 bunches are cut with a piece of the wood on which 

 they have been growing, and are transferred at once 

 to the stands, where they are secured by means of a 

 piece of strong string or tape passed round the stalk 

 and through the two holes in the back. This string, b& 

 it borne in mind, should be tied tightly round the 

 stalk at the junction A\ath the wood, so as to pre- 

 clude all possibility of chafing in transit ; the ends- 

 are then passed through the two holes, and tied at 

 the back. ^\1ien set up the bunches should bfr 

 about three inches apart to admit of inspection ; they 

 should be suspended A\-ith the flattest side to the- 

 board and, it is hardly necessary to say, with the 

 best side facing the judges. A bunch should never 

 be lifted after it is suspended, as with the greatest 

 care it cannot be done without disturbing the bloom. 

 Some writers on packing for exhibition advise 

 passing a piece of string through the berries and 

 round the stem about the middle of the bunch, 

 thence thi'ough two holes in the stand ; but this is a 

 troublesome and unnecessary operation, which cannot 

 be performed without remoA-ing the bloom. More- 

 over, it is a dangerous precaution, as any sudden 

 jerk in transit is likelj' to cause the stems to snap 

 where the string passes over them. Large bimches 

 having hea^y shoulders may sometimes have wads of 

 cotton wool placed under them ; bej-ond this no pack- 

 ing of any kind must be used. "When all the grapes 

 are cut and arranged on the boards, fit them into 

 the cases in which they are to travel to the show. 



