Strawberries ^ How To Crow Them 
MARK HANNAS AND SHREDDED WHEAT BISCUIT 
In picking berries a short piece of the stem 
should be left on each berry. The thumb nail 
makes an ideal tool with which to cut the stem, 
pinching the stems between the fore-finger and 
thumb-nail. If the berry is pulled off the stem 
it will leave a hole in the berry and the fruit will 
soon spoil. Even though they are sold direct 
from the patch as soon as picked, it pays big to 
leave a small stem on them, because the berries 
retain their shape better and will make a much 
more attractive appearance. No matter how fine 
the berries are they cannot be packed in a 
tempting way unless they are properly picked. 
We repeat the most essential points to be ob- 
served at picking time: 
1 . If possible have the vines and berries dry. 
2. Leave short piece of stem on each berry. 
3. Have the berries uniform as to ripeness. 
4. Pick while unripe if berries are to be 
shipped, but permit them to become fully ripe 
when sold near home. 
Packing the Strawberries 
A LITTLE care in packing the berries will 
do more toward increasing the net profits 
of the strawberry field than most growers imag- 
ine. Have you not often gone into a fancy 
grocery where all kinds of fruit and other eata- 
bles were put out in plain view, and bought some- 
thing you had no notion of buying when you 
went into the store, simply because everything 
was displayed so temptingly that you were com- 
pelled to do so? The grocer who thus arranges 
his tempting food supplies has an object in view. 
He knows full well that a clean and nicely ar- 
ranged store, with all the appetizing things 
arrayed in full view so that his customers cannot 
get by them without seeing them, is the thing 
:that makes sales that would not be made were 
the same articles thrown about in haphazard 
style. A basket of old "specked" apples never 
made anybody's mouth water, neither will a box 
of dirty and poorly packed berries. 
Every grower of strawberries owes it to him- 
self to make his particular brand of berries just 
as tempting as they can be, just so he is honest 
about it; and that means to make the bottom of 
the box just as good as the top of the box. In 
addition to this place the top layer of each quart 
with the stem ends down and the bright glossy 
ripe fruit thus presented to the eye will command 
an instant sale at two or three cents a quart 
higher than berries of the same quality that are 
not so nicely arranged. Just try this plan of 
packing one box of strawberries and then set a 
box beside it that has not received that sort of 
attention, and note the difference. Even those 
who know that the contents of the two boxes are 
practically of the same quality would prefer the 
dressed-up box at a higher price. 
Let us see what nicely packed berries will do 
for the grower: 
1 . It will give him popularity and put him 
head and shoulders above his competitor. 
2. It will make customers hunt him and save 
him all the trouble of hunting customers. 
3. It will unfailingly secure him the very 
highest prices. 
4. It will increase his bank account, making 
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