September 13, 1M. * 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
237 
education of a gardener ; for what is the use of growing the best fruit 
in the world if it be spoiled in transit ? At least one-third of the hot¬ 
house fruit sent to market is depreciated in value, and sometimes 
rendered worthless, by bad packing; whereas, if all came in marketable 
condition the price would be lower to the consumer, the supply being 
larger, and a better result all round would accrue to the grower. 
Bearing this in mind, I beg to submit the following remarks as applying 
to London markets. 
There are three golden rules to be observed in sending fruit to 
markets. 
1st, Never send it too rip6. Peaches especially should be packed 
hard, as they travel better in that condition, and are rarely used by the 
shopkeeper till two or three days after purchase. 
.2nd, Never, if possible, send it for Saturday’s market, as with the 
exception of Strawberries the retailer invariably provides himself 
beforehand with what he requires : Monday and Tuesday for the first 
part of the week, Wednesday and Thursday for the latter part. In hot 
weather, when fruit ripens fast, small consignments may be sent on 
Friday. 
3rd, All fruit should be sorted into bests and seconds, and in some 
cases into thirds, as there are always buyers of bests, and buyers of 
seconds and thirds, but seldom buyers of mixed. 
Grapes. —Among hothouse fruits, Grapes being most important, as 
growing all the year round, claim our first attention. There are two 
sorts of baskets in which Grapes may be sent to market—viz., the 
‘•handle ” and the “baby.” The former is more useful for ordinary 
work and is safer, as the handle is used for lifting, and to a certain 
extent is a piotection to the fruit in preventing other goods being placed 
on the top. A little packing should be placed in the bottom of the 
basket, then a lining of white paper. The bunches should be packed 
close together, shoulder upwards, and the basket tied over with a sheet 
of stiff paper with a label “Grapes with care” on it. Grapes packed 
this way will travel any distance. Special bunches travel in “ handles,” 
each bunch tied to the basket, without the centre being filled up. The 
latter mode is recommended in the case of special fruit only. The 
“ baby ” basket should only be used for short distances, and where a 
regular supply is sent, and where the railway porters are accustomed to 
them. It is more convenient than the “ handle ” for displaying in the 
'shop windows, and shows off the fruit better. The basket should be 
lined with white paper and a little packing placed in the bottom, the 
bunches being simply laid in close together. The whole fits nicely into 
a hamper known as a “ flat,” and with the ordinary Grape label 
invariably arrives in good condition. 
Peaches should be packed in shallow boxes of sufficient depth to 
allow a good bed to lay upon and a slight layer of packing on the top. 
The box should contain only twenty-four best or thirty-six seconds. 
Each fruit should be wrapped in soft paper. A very effective way of 
packing Peaches, so as when the box is opened the class of fruit can be 
seen at once by the buyer, is to roll a double slip of tissue paper round 
each fruit, leaving the crown exposed. This requires a sheet of paper to 
be placed over the fruit before finally filling up with the packing. I 
know of no packing better than moss, which should be properly dried 
and cleansed from all grit. It is cooler and more elastic than any other 
substance. *Each fruit should be completely surrounded with it. Next 
to moss is bran, but care should be taken to shake it down well and 
refill the box before fastening the lid, as it settles down with the oscilla¬ 
tion of travelling, leaving part of the fruit exposed and liable to injury. 
Wadding is not elastic, and is too heating. 
Strawberries should be packed in boxes in single layers contain¬ 
ing from 1 lb. to 1 j lb., according to size, each Strawberry being placed 
in a Strawberry leaf on a thin layer of moss with only a light layer of 
leaves on the top. Each package of say five or six boxes should have a 
label “ Strawberries with care, this side up ” on the top of it. When 
the season is full on they lose value if delivered after 8 A.M., as the 
trade then supply themselves from the “ morning gathered ” delivered 
by the growers themselves. 
Tomatoes should be packed in “ handle ” baskets containing from 
18 to 20 lbs., and should be well coloured, but not too ripe, otherwise 
they are apt to split. 
Outdoor Fruit.— Suitable baskets for sending outdoor fruit to 
market can always be obtained of the salesmen. These consist of 
quarter sieves, half sieves, and sieves. The former hold 12 lbs., and 
are used for best samples of all kinds of soft fruit. Half sieves are used 
for Cherries, Currants, Plums, Pears, and Apples. Sieves are used 
mainly for Apples. A half sieve of soft fruit should contain 24 lbs., of 
Plums 28 lbs., of Apples from 21 to 24 lbs. Soft fruit should be simply 
tuck down with a sheet of paper. Hard fruit should be stuck down 
with dry packing, such as hay or straw. All fruit opens better with 
sheet of paper covered over. 
Pears, especially early varieties, should be sent directly they can 
be removed from the trees. On no account should they be allowed to 
get ripe. The system in vogue in France is well worthy of imitation by 
growers in this country. The fruit is carefully sorted, in many in¬ 
stances into four sizes. Cases are made to contain two tiers, each tier 
consisting of twenty, twenty-four, thirty, and thirty-six fruits. A 
layer of paper shavings is placed between each tier, and one top and 
bottom. When the fruit is extra large and kept late in the season, cases 
to contain a single layer of twelve and fifteen are used. If packed in 
half sieves, the better sorts should be placed in layers with a little 
packing between. 
Carriage. —With regard to the cost of carriage little can be said 
here except that the rates, as we all know, are very unsatisfactory, little' 
or no inducement being held out by the great carriers for the develop¬ 
ment of produce on a small scale. Special rates may sometimes be 
secured for regular consignments over 28 lbs., but even then there is 
often a difficulty in keeping the railway company to their contract. All 
goods by passenger trains should reach the markets by 7 P.M., so as to 
be ready for the next morning's trade, as if not they a v e seldom 
delivered till after the market is over, and therefore lose in value. 
PACKING, CARRIAGE, AND MARKETING OF FRUITS. 
By Mr. Samuel Rawson. 
I HAVE been asked to give my views on the subject of the packing, 
carriage, and marketing of fruits, and as I have had many years’ expe¬ 
rience in the business, I have jotted down a few hints which I hope may 
lead to consideration by those who are most interested in the subject 
—that is, the growers of fruit. Anyone can grow fruit if he have the 
trees, the land, and the climate ; but it is not everyone who can make 
the best price of it by judicious marketing, as there is much art in that. 
There are the picking and the packing, as well as the choice of a market 
and a salesman. We are all aware of the old adage, “ Put the best side 
towards London,” and know pretty well what “toppers” mean ; but you 
may depend upon it that it is very unfair to the salesman and the cus¬ 
tomer in town to top or face the baskets of produce sent to market with 
a few of the best fruit, to cover the idleness or carelessness in picking. 
This is often the reason of many complaints of certain growers receiving 
bad prices, as shopkeepers, if once bit, will be very shy of buying that 
grower’s produce again, unless at such prices as will make them some 
recompense for their loss on their former outlay. 
In France they manage much better. Perhaps it may be said their 
dwarf pyramid trees, and their cordon system of growing, facilitates the 
picking, as there is no climbing or shaking of trees, no dropping of fruit 
by the moving of ladders. This I admit is a great advantage, and the 
fruit must be freer from bruises than ours ; but does the English fruit 
grower ever trouble whether the fruit is bruised or not ? I say no ; he 
does not. In nine cases out of ten all he cares about is getting it off the 
trees and sent to market, and in many cases without even studying 
whether this or that sort ought to be sent first. The Frenchman does 
not do this. He carefully hand-picks and selects the finest of his fruit, 
and places it separately, either on racks specially fitted round his fruit 
room, or lays it thinly on straw apart from the main crops, whi^h he 
offers for sale first, and, should the market prove to be brisk he will 
often sort his fruit two or three times, leaving only the very smallest to 
be sold in large packages. The others are made up in small packages 
marked with the number of fruit and initials of the packer. Thus one 
grower’s packing will make double the price of another’s, if his mark has 
become known as an honest packer ; but in cases of small growers, or 
people who want cash at harvest time, and cannot afford to score fruit, 
their produce is sent into the towns. The French fruit-grower studies 
how he can improve his fruit produce by planting sorts that command a 
sale ; then, by adopting small packages, and by often realising more for 
1 ton of fruit than we do for 2 tons of ours. Why is this ? The French 
do not begrudge employing labour, while the English grower growls and 
grumbles if he employs a few extra hands. I say labour will and must 
pay, and farmers would do better by employing more labour. I give 
you an instance. 
I was in Cornwall, I think it is three seasons ago. A grower was 
about to send me some Apples for sale. They were early Apples, I 
think about a ton of Keswick Codlins and half a ton of Quarreudens. 
I was grieved when I saw him packing them, for both kinds were really 
fine clear fruit. I said, “ Why did you not hand-pick these fine Cod¬ 
lins ? ” “ Oh 1 ” he said, “ it wo’n’t pay ; I have not time.” I said, 
« Why did you pick the Quarrendens l ” He said, “ Because we could 
