May 18, 1882. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
397 
18th 
Tn 
Beading Horticultural Show. 
19 th 
F 
20th 
S 
Crystal Palace Flower Show. 
21st 
SUN 
Sunday after Ascension. 
22nd 
M 
23rd 
TU 
Boyal Horticultural Society. Great Show (three days). 
24th 
W 
Linnean Society at 8 p.M. 
PACKING CUT FLOWERS. 
i|^ARIOUS modes of packing flowers for travelling 
by post or rail are adopted, all of which, per¬ 
haps, answer the purpose of those interested: 
In some cases where carpenters are regularly 
employed and at the service of the gardener 
the most elaborate methods are adopted, a com¬ 
plete, and I may add expensive, set of boxes 
being devised. Where, however, neither car¬ 
penters nor suitable materials for making boxes are 
available it often happens the gardener has to do the 
best he can with any kinds of boxes, tins, or baskets that may 
be obtainable, the grocers and confectioners frequently fur¬ 
nishing the former. In the first case, according to my ex¬ 
perience, the flowers frequently are not sufficiently plentiful to 
quite fill the boxes. This, it is almost needless to state, is a 
most injurious fault; and, even where obviated, the extra 
weight that has to be paid for, especially when sent by pas¬ 
senger trains, consequent upon the employment of large boxes, 
trays, and other contrivances, is anything but agreeable to 
some employers. On the other hand, where there are no series 
of suitable boxes available packing is far from a pleasurable 
occupation, and not a few flowers are irrecoverably spoilt before 
arriving at their destination, owing to having been crushed 
into too small boxes. 
As I have attempted to point out, it is not generally what 
we would have, but what we are obliged to utilise—everything 
really depending upon circumstances. That flowers are sent 
long distances, arriving at their destination in good condition 
when carefully bunched, and laid, and tied in large boxes, 
or disposed upright with the aid of blocked-up trays, thesa 
having holes bored of sufficient size to admit of the bunches 
of flowers being drawn through, and either tied through the 
bottom of the box or fixed with wedges, I readily admit ; but 
although I am in a position to adopt this method, I neither care 
to do so nor intend to recommend others to adopt it. Let 
those who admire the practice fully explain the system and 
point out its merits. The plan I follow, and which appears to 
be perfectly satisfactory to my employers, is, at least in my 
estimation, far more simple and economical. It is simple in 
operation and economical as regards original outlay, time taken 
up in packing, and expense in carriage. 
Boxes, especially those procured from the grocers, are so 
lightly constructed as to be easily crushed, especially when re¬ 
turned loosely in a large vegetable hamper; and although I 
employ many of these for certain flowers, or when there is a 
doubt of their being returned, I rely principally upon flat well- 
made wicker baskets. These are cheaply made in two sizes, in 
length to fit tightly across the vegetable hampers, the largest 
being 20 inches long, 10 inches wide, and 10 inches deep ; the 
smallest the same length and width and 6 inches deep, outside 
measurement in each case. With ordinary fair treatment they 
last several years, are available for packing fruit, and can be 
sent with perfect safety independent of the vegetable hamper. 
It is astonishing what a quantity of flowers can be packed in 
two or three of these baskets, and these in their turn are easily 
disposed near the top of the vegetable hampers, and thereby 
reach their destination in a better condition than when thrown 
about in smaller packages, the railway officials paying but 
little heed to largely lettered words of caution. 
At one time the baskets were lined with paper to protect the 
flowers from being injured by the uneven sides, and also to 
make them as airtight as possible ; but since I employed 
Spinach leaves there has been less need of paper—in fact, it is 
only used in cold weather. It may, perhaps, be remembered 
by some I once strongly recommended in these pages Spinach 
leaves as a packing material for cut flowers, and a further two 
years' experience confirms my views. Numbers of gardeners 
have for a long time packed the choicer vegetables in Spinach 
leaves, and why should not cut flowers be equally as fresh from 
the same packing material? That they do travel well and 
arrive fresher than in any other material I have plenty of evi¬ 
dence to prove, including some from the best of judges—viz., 
market salesmen. Consequently I employ neither moss nor 
cotton wool, and seldom tissue paper for packing, whether the 
flowers are sent by post or rail, but rely entirely upon either 
Spinach, Lettuce, or cultivated Sorrel leaves. These are pre¬ 
pared by being washed, their stalks pinched closely off, and the 
midribs crushed, and those leaves not fully grown, being softer, 
receive the preference. The bottoms of the baskets are 
covered and the sides partially lined with them, and on these 
are flatly disposed fronds of Ferns, Spiraea leaves, and other 
greenery, and on these is placed a layer of the most robust 
flowers, next another layer of leaves, lining the sides as before, 
then follows a layer of more tender flowers in the case of the 
small baskets, or moderately sturdy flowers in the largest 
baskets, and so on till these are filled, the topmost layer in¬ 
variably consisting of the most fragile flowers, such as Azaleas, 
Deutzias, Begonias, Abutilons, and Pelargoniums, finishing oif 
with more Spinach. It is very important that all the flowers 
should be laid in as flatly as possible, or they crush each other, 
and those who unpack them should never attempt to drag out 
the under layers before finishing the topmost, or much damage 
may easily result. Primroses, Violets, Snowdrops, Pinks, and 
Carnations are placed in bunches and packed closely and up¬ 
right in the shallow baskets, Spinach leaves being disposed 
about them and over them. Eucharises, Gardenias, and Ste- 
phanotis are packed in a single layer in small shallow boxes 
obtained from the confectioners, and with the help of Spinach 
are so fixed as to be quite immoveable when shaken, the same 
being the case with all the packages. 
In the very hottest weather a great bulk of flowers and leaves 
are apt to heat quickly, this rendering them useless. To ob¬ 
viate this I place paper between the layers, and also pack 
principally in the shallow baskets. Cotton wool does not heat, 
but it absorbs moisture instead of supplying it, while moss 
heats rapidly and strongly. For instance, during the hot 
weather experienced last July I packed two large boxes of 
Roses at night, using Spinach freely, and travelled to town 
No. 99.— Yol. IV., Third Series. 
No. 1785.— Yol. LXVII., Old Series. 
