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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



excellent fruit, but very often damage or completely spoil it 

 through not knowing how to pack it. The great art of packing, 

 not only Grapes, but all sorts of tender fruit, either for market or 

 private use, is more than half attained when the young beginner 

 gets over the fear of packing too tightly ; for if once allowed to 

 move or change their position, after the boxes are handed over to 

 the tender mercies of a railway company, the contents suffer to 

 an extent that greatly depreciates their value. Some growers use 

 baskets that will hold from eighteen to twenty pounds each, 

 and four of these, when packed in a case of suitable size with 

 handles at each end, make up a weight that protects them from 

 being turned over by the railway porters. For private growers, 

 boxes of uniform size that will hold from eighteen to twenty 

 pounds each are best ; indeed, boxes that will just hold the 

 quantity required are preferable to baskets, as they do not so 

 readily give way to pressure. These should be made of half-inch 

 deal, twenty-four inches long, fourteen inches wide, and six 

 inches deep. The best material for general packing is soft, dry 

 moss, of which a large supply should be obtained when the 

 weather is fine, thoroughly dried, and beaten with sticks to 

 destroy the harshness and free it from dust. Having the boxes 

 and moss at hand, proceed by placing a layer an inch or more 

 thick evenly over the bottom of the box, the sides, ends, and 

 bottom of which should be lined with a double thickness of cap- 

 paper and a single thickness of silver paper, allowing one half of 

 the sheets to hang over the sides for turning over when the 

 packing is finished. Weigh the box, carry it to the vinery, placing 

 it in a slanting position by raising one end to an angle of 45°. 

 Commence packing by placing good bunches in each of the 

 lower corners, keeping the shoulders well up to the level 

 of the sides ; select a third bunch that will fit in tightly 

 between the other two. Proceed in this way until the box 

 is half full, then raise the box to a sharper angle, and press 

 the bunches still closer together. Finish cutting, reserving 

 three short clumpy bunches for the last row. Return to the 

 Grape-room, take the gross weight, deduct the weight of the 

 box, and write the net weight on a card. Place the box flat 

 upon the table ; get a supply of moss near the right hand, and 

 commence wedging the Grapes away from the sides by the intro- 

 duction of small quantities of moss into the cavities formed by 



