Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-08-25

or, ripe enough to eat (unless the Gus
toner wishes to hold them), but never
overripe-that is, they should be mar
keted in their proper season. They
should be sound, clean, free from dam
age of worms or other pests, disease.
skin puncture or other defects.
All berries should be shipped as soon
after picking as possible. They should
not be held over from day to day
They should be picked only when dry.
be removed from the sun and kept as
cool as possible. Defective and Gull
berries should be kept separate as the
fruit is gathered to avoid further han
ding for the purpose of sorting. Re-
handling does great damage to berries
as well as to cherries and currants.
Strawberries may be picked when
sufficiently ripe to reach the consumer
in good condition. They should be
picked with the hull or cap and the
stem on, the stem being pinched off
as close to the berry as convenient.
The berries should be placed in the
boxes as picked instead of being held
in the hand until handful is gathered
Small inferior, dirty and overripe ber-
ries should be placed in separate boxes
as picked, but should not be sent to
market. The quality and size should
be the same from top to bottom and
the boxes we'll filled. Topping or fac
ing the boxes with the larger fruit
should not be done, but turning down
the stems of the top layer improves
the appearance of the package. No
leaves, sticks, long stems or other trash
should be allowed to get into the boxes.
Dewberries and blackberries should
be picked only when dry and should
be handled as little as possible. They
are ripe enough when full, bright
black, but for parcel post marketing
should not be allowed to become too
ripe. All undesirable ones should be
kept out as the berries are picked.
1t Is very important that peaches be
handled carefully at ali times to pre-.
vent bruising. For shipment by parcel
post they should be about ripe, but
only 'hard ripe" ready to eat In not
less than two days. Varieties and
colors should not be mixed unless SO
ordered.
Pears should not be picked so ripe
as some other kinds of fruit because
they bruise and turn black so easily.
In fact, it is advisable to pick most
varieties when matured, though green.
or just starting to ripen. If picked
when just turning they should reach
the consumer about right to use. They
should be free from worms, bruises
and cuts, practically free from disease,
specks, blemishes and other defects and
should be of proper shape and size for
The variety. No fruit off the ground
should ever be shipped.
Plums may be picked so that they
will reach the consumer just ready to
use. Careful handling will prevent
decay in shipping. Understood fruit
should be sorted out. Cracked, III
shaped, off colored or otherwise defec-
tive plums should be culled out. and
no overripe fruit should be overlooked.
for a decaying plum vets all those
around it and causes them to rot.
Special care must be taken to see
that raspberries are picked only when
dry and while they are still firm. They
should be carefully handled, graded as
picked and never rehandled. Boxes
should be we'll filed, as they have a de-
cided tendency to settle down In ship
ping because Of their cuplike shape.