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PACKAGES FOR VEGETABLES 



without bales, but with block handles at the end, are much 

 used at Canastota. These meet the requirements of appear- 

 ance very satisfactorily and suggest our next point, namelj^, 

 that a package should be easily handled. The large size and 

 clumsiness of the barrel and of the Chicago cabbage crate 

 (17x17x32") encourage rough handling and consequent in- 

 jury. The crate mentioned is usually made up of odds and 

 ends of lumber about the farm and is anything but attractive. 



Question : Would the Canastota basket hold up in car lot 

 shipments? 



Mr. Jennings: We have never shipped any in that way. 

 We use it almost altogether for order trade. 



Mr. Work: I would say this. A package similar to this 

 is often stacked in cars criss-cross fashion and works very 

 nicely. This might be a little doubtful on account of the 

 flexibility. I am not sure but there ought to be an extra 

 strap or two to stiffen it if you are going to stack it in cars. 



One point suggests another, and the query illustrates the 

 necessity of adapting the package to its use. The Canastota 

 basket is most excellent for order trade but would require 

 modification for car lot shipment. Similarly, a package must 

 be well adapted to the crop to be marketed. A happy illus- 

 tration of this is found in the practice of the Troy gardeners 

 who pack Grand Rapids lettuce in used cheese boxes which 

 they buy at very low prices. The wedge shape of the head 

 makes it possible to pack it perfectly with the butts to the 

 middle. 



. To follow this idea of adaptation a step further, do not 

 put a high grade product in a low grade package. You can 

 no more afford to do this than can a bank president to ap- 

 pear at his office unshaven, with muddy shoes, or wrinkled 

 coat. Long Island cauliflower is one of the most aristocratic 

 garden products to be found on our markets. The barrel is 

 certainly a most homely package, especially after it has made 

 a trip from Norfolk to New York, has been hammered around 

 the markets for a few days and then sent out to Long Island. 

 It does not give the flowers a fair show. Moreover, it is al- 

 most invariably roughly handled. A box or crate carrying 



