July 6, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
1 
1 \ 
PACKING FRUITS FOR 
EXHIBITION. 
-X- : 
D uring the few busy hours which precede the opening of 
horticultural exhibitions, those of us who have on so many 
such occasions contributed our part to the general bustle of the 
throng, must at times have been struck with the rough and ready 
methods of packing adopted by some among the eager showmen. 
The damage resulting from such practices is perhaps more apparent 
in choice fruits than any other class of exhibits, because they 
frequently travel long distances, and when fully ripe show the 
effects of faulty packing or rough handling in an unmistakeable 
manner. Many a valuable prize has been lost solely through the 
damage sustained by fruit during transit to the exhibition. True 
there are instances when this cannot well be avoided—as accidents 
will sometimes occur when every possible precaution has been 
taken—but [successful showmen must first become expert packers, 
and the extremely rare occasions on which they encounter mishaps 
do much to prove how slight are the elements of chance, which 
some would have us believe contribute towards success in any 
walk of life. On more than one occasion have I seen exhibitors 
stage splendid examples of cultural skill, which also bore the 
unmistakeable evidence of bad packing, and while they were 
deploring the rough handling their produce had received on the 
journey, a fellow exhibitor—who had perhaps travelled thrice the 
distance—has brought out his fruit in an unblemished condition. 
In the case of Grapes it is absolutely necessary that the boxes 
containing them should be handled carefully, and not in any other 
way be subjected to rough treatment from the time the bunches 
are placed in them till they are arranged on the exhibition tables 
for no method of packing has yet been devised by which the 
bloom can be retained upon the berries, while at the same time 
they will bear the rough handling without injury to which well 
packed Peaches may be subjected with impunity. Compact 
bunches, in which the berries press slightly together so as to form 
a solid mass, always travel well—provided no accidents occur—but 
even then will not bear the tossing about which some railway 
officials are apt to give them, unless they are thoroughly acquainted 
with the contents of the travelling boxes. For this reason it is 
an excellent plan to have all Grape boxes labelled with large 
printed labels, “ Grapes with care.” Large loose bunches are not 
at all desirable for show purposes. Still, it sometimes happens 
that they must perforce be used. In dealing with such I have 
found it advisable to place under them a piece of cotton wool cut 
to suit the shape of the bunch, the rough edges being turned 
underneath, and the whole secured to the stand by means of tacks. 
In other instances it may only be necessary to place a padding 
of this description under the shoulders of the bunch, so as to 
bring them up to the proper level. A little attention of this 
kind does much to prevent the Grapes becoming rubbed and 
otherwise injured in travelling, and although the padding indicates 
a weakness, still it is the best means that I know of to ensure the 
desired results. Grapes always travel better when the stands on 
which they are placed have an acute angle than when the opposite 
is the case ; for this reason it is a good plan to have the stands 
made with adjustable legs so that they may be fastened to the 
sides of the boxes in an almost upright position for the convenience 
of travelling. This may seem a trivial matter, but in reality it 
is one of the most important points to be observed in good 
No. 732,—VoL. XXIX., Third Series. 
packing, for it is obvious that in travelling, the farther the bunch 
deviates from the perpendicular the more likely the shoulders are 
to spread out and spoil the form of the bunch. 
Peaches and Nectarines are always telling dishes in collections 
of fruits, but to carry due weight they must be of good size and iu 
just the right condition in regard to ripeness, not hard on the one 
hand or very soft or shrivelled on the other. Large fleshy fruits 
in good condition require extremely careful packing to enable the 
exhibitor to stage them in an unblemished condition. The first 
consideration is to have the boxes deep enough for a good layer of 
soft material to be placed underneath and above them. Squares of 
cotton wool and tissue paper should be in readiness to wrap each 
fruit in. Then place a layer of the former material in the bottom 
of the box, next wrap each fruit in tissue paper, finishing off by 
folding evenly underneath the fruit. A square of cotton wool should 
then be placed over the paper, and the fruits with their covering 
packed closely together in the box, the interstices being filled up 
with odd pieces of cotton wool or paper shavings, and a layer of 
the latter material placed over the whole. With firm packing of 
this description Apricots, Figs, and Green Gage Plums may be con¬ 
veyed hundreds of miles and placed upon the exhibition table in an 
excellent condition. 
In packing Strawberries I have found no better plan than the 
time-honoured one of placing them in shallow wooden trays, each 
fruit being enclosed in a soft leaf, a Cabbage or Cauliflower leaf 
with the ribs removed being placed beneath and above them. 
Cherries should be packed in exactly the same way, for when they 
are large and juicy, as they should be, the skins frequently burst 
if not carefully packed. Currants travel well if laid in similar 
trays lined with leaves ; they ought to be laid in carefully at full 
length, not more than two layers being placed in a box. If these 
trays are all made of the same size several of them may be tied 
together, the bottom of one forming a lid for that beneath it, 
finishing off with a stout cover at the top, and fastening the whole 
securely together by means of cord. Plums if very ripe require 
each fruit to be packed in a leaf, when not over-ripe they travel 
very well if packed closely together in leaf-lined boxes. 
Ordinary Stinging Nettle leaves are the best I know of for the 
purpose, as they preserve the bloom so well, but are not altogether 
pleasant to handle. 
Melons if wrapped in soft packing paper and surrounded with 
plenty of hay in a hamper or box, will bear a good deal of rough 
handling with impunity. In dealing with Pines both crown and 
fruit should be encased in soft paper, and when quite ripe, if the 
fruit is a large one, cotton wool ought also to be wrapped around 
it. If then placed in a box sufficiently wide and deep to allow,a 
layer of paper shavings to be laid underneath the fruit, and 
pressed in firmly all round it, nothing short of an accident will 
cause serious injury. For the convenience of travelling I like to 
tie firmly together several packages of boxes, as they are thus more 
easily kept under the eye, and are moreover less likely to be shaken 
by being inadvertently tossed about in the way that small parcels 
are sometimes treated. —Exiiiritor. 
FIGHTING OUR INSECT PESTS. 
It is generally supposed that those insects which are injurious 
to vegetable life are the most abundant during dry, hot seasons. 
My experience this year, however, has not borne out that supposi¬ 
tion, for both green and black aphides, and caterpillars of several 
destructive types, have been unusually troublesome, and where 
prompt measures were not taken with them the havoc wrought 
has been appalling. 
Roses were badly affected with green fly shortly after the 
severe frosts, just as the plants were commencing to grow freely* 
Immediately I discovered the enemy was so active as well as 
numerous the whole of the bushes were thoroughly syringed 
No. 2388.~V0L. XCI., Old Seeie,s. 
