806 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
spraying is also an expense to be reckoned upon. For dwarf 
trees and young standards the various knapsack distributors 
are the most economical ; they cost from 80s. to 35s. each, and 
can be readily used by one man. By employing some of the 
prepared insecticides, one man can spray two or three acres a 
day thoroughly, at a total cost of a few shillings an acre. For 
large standard trees more powerful and expensive machinery is 
necessary. 
Gatheeing Feuit. — It is better to employ regular hands at 
this work where possible. On very large fruit farms, of course, 
it cannot be done, and the custom is to pay by measure or weight 
at the following average rates, bountiful crops being cheaper to 
gather and poor crops dearer : Apples, Pears, Plums, Damsons, 
and Cherries by the bushel, at 3d. to Is., or from 15s. to 50s. a 
ton, the smaller stone fruits being the most expensive and 
Apples the cheapest. Bush fruits, Gooseberries and Currants, 
gathered by the peck of 12 to 14 lbs., will average 3^?. to Gd., 
or £2 to £4. 10s. a ton, while Strawberries and Easpberries 
are 12-lb. pecks, and cost Ad. to Gd., or £3. 10s. to £5 a ton. 
Gathering fine fruit into punnets costs more. 
Stoeing. — When it is required to store Apples or Pears, and 
there is no existing building that can be converted for the 
purpose, an erection of some kind becomes necessary ; but this 
should not be a heavy expense, as from £20 to £50 would suffice 
for a building that would hold the crops of a large extent of 
ground. In the Royal Horticultural Society's. Journal for 
January 1895 a description is given of a cheap and useful 
building 30 feet long and 12 feet wide, which cost £30. 
Packages. — Baskets vary slightly in cost from different 
makers, but the following arc the average prices : Ordinary 
shallow punnets, to hold 1 or 2 lbs. of Strawberries or Easp- 
berries, are 6s. ^d. to 7s. Gd. a gross. Chip baskets (now much 
used) can be had in sizes from \ lb. to 5 lbs. (the 1 or 2 lb. sizes 
are the most convenient), cither with or without handles, square 
or octagonal in form, at from Is. to 9s. a gross. Wooden boxes, to 
hold a bushel of Apples, Pears, or Plums, cost 7s. Gd. a dozen ; 
hali'-bushcl sizes cost 4s. ^d. a dozen. Bushel and half-bushel 
sieves and baskets vary greatly in cost. 
Packing material used for the finer samples of firm fruits is 
chioily cotton wadding, which costa 12s, per 12 dozen yards ; 
