GRADING FOR PROFIT 97 



the right conditions of gathering and packing many- 

 flowers travel well without such assistance. 



As an ordinary covering for open baskets various 

 materials are utilised, such as straw, hay, grass, and the 

 stems or haulm of the crop gathered, as Pea, Bean, and 

 Potato tops. Where it is available Bracken Fern is used, 

 and this with good soft straw is the most efficient of what 

 may be termed " make-shift " substances. Hay is soft, 

 but often smells too strong, and is expensive ; grass is 

 not always available, and is objectionable in its quick 

 decay ; the haulm of crops is obviously only at command 

 when the supply is finished, further it is often not so 

 clean as might be desired. 



Certain substances are used for packing imported 

 produce that might occasionally be employed here, 

 though not for the same goods. For example, Buck- 

 wheat husk is extensively used for packing bulbs in 

 Holland, and it serves the purpose well in preventing 

 damage while at the same time being dry but non- 

 absorbent. Where obtainable at a cheap rate it would 

 be useful for ripened roots. Cork dust is largely used 

 in packing Almeria grapes in tubs, and they travel well 

 as a rule, but it is a very thick skinned variety, and the 

 removal of the cork on arrival causes dealers and 

 fruiterers a great amount of trouble. It is a question if 

 the substance could be imported to this country cheap 

 enough to be of any service for other purposes, certainly 

 it should not be used for fruits. 



Paper is chiefly used in packing fruits to protect them 

 from the material relied upon for safety or as a top-covering 

 to exclude dust. The best forms of tissue-paper are 

 well fitted for the first-named purpose and in the smaller 

 boxes for the latter also. We prefer the white tissue 

 for general purposes, but where ornament is an object 

 it can be had in various colours, of which the pink and 

 blue tinted grades are the most serviceable. A superior 



