Piek  'nuj  ; Gradimj. 
55 
Grading. 
Fruit  should  be  graded  so  tliat  all  the  fruits  iu  a package 
are  as  nearly  as  possible  of  the  same  size  and  of  the  same 
quality,  for  when  it  gets  to  market  its  value  depends  greatly 
upon  the  uniformity  of  shape,  size,  and  colour  of  the  fruit. 
For  the  larger  fruits,  such  as  apples,  pears,  ami  j)lums, 
American  growers  have  a wide  table  covered  with  soft  material, 
slightly  sloping,  so  that  the  fruit  rolls  gently  down  in  the 
divisions  for  grading  to  the  packages  at  the  end.  In  America, 
frequently,  a minimum  standard  of  diametrical  measure  is 
adopted  for  grading  apples,  but  such  mathematical  j)recision 
could  not  be  carried  out  on  large  holdings.  But  apples  and 
pears  should  be  sent  to  market  of  uniform  size,  colour,  and 
quality.  Plums  and  gages  should  be  graded  into  three  classes  : 
(1)  for  dessert  and  best  culinary  purposes ; (2)  for  bottling, 
which  should  be  of  smaller  size,  and  general  cooking  require- 
ments; (3)  for  jam.  Gooseberries  require  grading:  (1)  the 
largest  and  most  handsome  and  well-flavoured  for  dessert ; 
(2)  for  ordinary  eating  purposes  and  bottling  ; (3)  for  jam. 
('urrants  (black  and  red)  and  raspberries  must  be  sent  to 
market  for  cooking  purposes  of  the  largest  and  most  uniform 
sizes.  Ordinary  small  currants  and  raspberries  need  hardly  be 
assorted  as  they  will  probably  go  to  jam-makers.  The  largest 
and  best  currants  and  raspberries  should  be  put  into  small 
baskets  or  punnets  for  dessert  [)urposes,  as  they  generally  come 
into  the  markets  when  strawberries  are  nearly  over.  The 
largest  and  best  strawberries  are  selected  for  dessert  and  put 
into  punnets  ; the  next  best  go  into  small  boxes  or  baskets, 
and  a third  grade  is  put  into  larger  packages.  Cherries  should 
be  treated  in  a very  different  fashion  from  that  generally 
adopted.  There  is  very  little  attempt  made  to  grade  this  fruit. 
An  eminent  fruit  grower  and  horticulturist  fi’om  California, 
Mr.  Emory  Smith,  who  paid  a visit  to  the  Kentish  cherry 
orchards,  was  much  impressed  with  the  size  and  vigorous 
growth  of  the  trees  and  the  quantity  and  supreme  quality  of 
the  fruit ; but  he  literally  shuddered  as  he  saw  the  juicy  fruit 
poured  into  the  baskets  regardless  of  bruising  and  without  any 
selection  or  assortment.  “ Such  fruit  as  this,”  Mr.  Emory 
Smith  said,  “ we  should  pick  just  before  it  was  rij)e,  handle 
it  most  tenderly,  and  classify  it  carefully,  and  j)ut  the  best  into 
wooden  boxes  arranged  in  tiers,  and  send  it  to  New  York  and 
other  large  cities.  Although  it  would  be  perhaps  sometimes 
three  days  or  more  on  its  journey  it  would  arrive  as  fresh  as 
