Preparing Fruit for Market. 
“Farmers are cheats,” we heard a city 
man remark the other day. “I do not buy 
a basket of strawberries that lias not the 
best and biggest on top, and when the 
peach season comes I get a dozen or two of 
fine peaches at the top, while the rest of 
the basket is tilled with small, green and 
gnarled fruit; they are all cheats.” The 
very next day after hearing this remark we 
were among the fruit commission houses, 
-and in one place saw some young men, who 
had bought several crates of berries to ped¬ 
dle. They had a lot of smaller baskets to 
which they transferred the berries from 
the larger ones they had bought, and as 
they filled these they topped them with 
the largest berries with surprising dex¬ 
terity. We concluded that all the cheat¬ 
ing, in strawberries at least, was not done 
bv the farmers. That there is much “dea- 
coning” (the market phrase for topping) 
of peaches and other fruits we do not 
•doubt, yet the tendency is all in the other 
direction. Take peach-growers for exam¬ 
ple, those who are regularly in the busi¬ 
ness and expect to continue it strive to 
make their brand upon a crate or basket a 
•guarantee of honest packing. This is in¬ 
sisted upon at all the meetings of peach- 
growers. Only recently we received the 
transactions of a fruit-growers’ society in 
North Carolina, in which this point, honest 
packing, was dwelt upon at great length. 
■“Honesty is the best policy” is not a prov¬ 
erb of the highest moral tone, as it implies 
that it pays to be honest, but the peach- 
growers are willing to adopt it, In packing 
peaches, the first point should be to assort 
them making as many grades as the con¬ 
dition of the fruit requires. When brought 
to the packing shed, the fruit is at once 
fhinly spread in the shade, in order that it 
may cool as much as possible. In assort¬ 
ing, any that are at all soft are put aside, 
<to be left at home; then two or three qual¬ 
ities, extras, first and second, are made, 
.and with the best growers, the packages 
of each are alike all through. It is allow¬ 
able to turn the colored sides of the top 
layer. uppermost, in order that the fruit 
may appear at its best, but not to select 
large specimens for the top layer. Those 
who send peaches to market for the first 
time will find it to their advantage to ob¬ 
serve this rule. In packing grapes for mar¬ 
ket the box is opened at the bottom, fine 
large bunches are laid in and the box is fill¬ 
ed up with smaller bunches. This is done 
in order that the fruit, when the top is 
taken off, may present a good appearance, 
and if the filling is done with good fruit, 
even if not the most select, there is no harm 
done. But if. as is sometimes the case, 
poorly ripened fruit, and even loose ber¬ 
ries are used to fill up, the grower will in 
time find that his brand is not in demand 
in the market. The fruit-grower who ex¬ 
pects to continue in the business cannot 
afford to pack his fruit dishonestly.— Amer¬ 
ican Agriculturist. 
“Berry” Me in Cue Garden. 
BY W. B. DERRICK. 
Oh, “berry” me in the garden, 
And let nobody know 
That I am gone—or hidden 
Where luscious small fruits grow! 
Yes, “berry” me in the garden 
When strawberries are ripe, 
Or when raspberries redden, 
And green fruits cease to gripe. 
There let me rest in peace, 
And, oh! weep not for me, 
For troubles there will cease, 
And I shall happy be. 
I’ll feast till I am full, 
Then fall asleep and dream 
Of this “berry” good world, 
Of berries and ice-cream. 
Baileyville , III. 
-- 
Why is a goose like an elephants trunk? 
Give it up? Because it grows down. 
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot?” 
Certainly not if they are getting rich. 
If a drunkard and a quart of whiskey 
were left together which would be drunk 
first? Just answer that if you please. 
We suppose, speaking of Moses, the reas¬ 
on the Lord buried him where no man could 
ever find his grave, was to prevent the Ohio 
medical students from running away with 
the body before it was cold. 
Drink nothing without seeing it; sign 
nothing without reading it. 
