MARKETING 
173 
gardeners in shipping kale, spinach and lettuce. Almost 
anything may be packed in barrels. The barrel is the 
standard package employed by Long Island gardeners, 
and is used largely by most gardeners in Philadelphia 
County, Pa., and, in fact, more or less throughout the 
country, for many classes of vegetables. The barrel is 
clumsy and inconvenient to handle and far from being 
attractive ; yet it will continue to be a popular package 
for many of the heavier vegetables. 
Bushel boxes are held in high esteem in some sections, 
especially around Boston. They are 1 7J/2 inches square 
and / Yic, inches deep. While many producers and deal- 
ers do not favor this package, it has decided advantages : 
(1) Easy to pack. (2) Loads compactly and hauls 
well. (3) Strong and durable. (4) Displays well. 
There are many types of baskets. The 5/8 and J 4 - 
bushel baskets (Figure 45, b and c) are widely used 
both for shipping and selling locally. The hamper (Fig- 
ure 48, b) is also used extensively in shipping cucum- 
bers, spinach, kale, lettuce, radishes, peas, beans and 
some other crops. Carriers of various designs are com- 
ing into more general use every year. One of the best 
is shown in Figure 48, a, containing six 4-quart bas- 
kets. The Long Island home hamper (Figure 50) has 
proved to be very successful in supplying a high-class 
city trade, being shipped directly to the consumer. This 
crate is 10 inches deep, top length 24 inches, bottom 
length 21^2 inches, top width 13J/2 inches, bottom width 
10^2 inches. Crates and chip or slab market baskets of 
various sizes and designs are in common use. 
It often pays to buy packages in the “knock down.” 
The freight rates are less when they are shipped in com- 
pact form and less storage room is required in the pack- 
ing house. If possible, carlot shipments should be 
secured, several neighbors clubbing together when nec- 
essary to make up a car. 
