As moisture after picking causes all small fruit to decay, you should avoid as much as possible picking while the dew is on or when the plants are wet from rain. By delaying the picking a short time the fruit will dry off, and it will keep and carry better and consequently bring better prices in the market. This is a point that is very often overlooked in the hurry to get the fruit to market.

Great care should be taken to have the picker pick all the ripe berries at each picking, as any left and picked next time will be over-ripe, and tend to destroy the sound fruit. The juice of one soft berry will ferment and spoil and injure the whole quart, and frequently the whole package. Care should also be taken that there are no unripe or small berries mixed in the packages. The packages should be well filled and rounded, so that they will be full when they reach market - the dealer will bless you for this, and the customer will be happy too. Of course, in doing this you may give more berries to a crate than your neighbor, but it will pay you better.

In finishing off the packages, the top layer should be placed stem down, and the bright side of the berry up. They should be carried to a shady place, and be allowed to stand where the wind can blow over them to cool the berries and to carry off any moisture that may be 6n them before the packages are placed in the crate. The cover of the crate should be left open until ready to load, to give air as long as possible ; keep the crates in a coot and shady place.

If the berries are sandy, as they frequently are after a shower, put them up without washing and do not top off with clean fruit, as that will injure your reputation with the buyer. All the old and experienced fruit-raisers have found that the best way to get the highest price for their fruit is to put it up honestly. Such packing enables the commission dealer to "chalk up" that mark or brand as being sold, and for which he is sure of getting the highest price. But if the fruit is not put up honestly and satisfactorily it has to be sold to peddlers at low prices.

SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE LATO-DIG.ITATUM.

SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE LATO DIG.ITATUM.

The crate now used in New York markets, and giving the best satisfaction, is the 32-square-quart ventilated crate. In buying crates, see that they are ventilated or have openings between the top of crate and cover. The openings should not be in the cover, as they would let in dust. The heat and sweat, in unventilated crates, rise up against the cover and condense, falling back on the top layer of berries and turning them black. There can be seen daily in the market, after the busy first sales are over, salesmen changing the top layer of baskets to the bottom, and bringing bright fresh ones on top.

The berries should be picked ripe, or of full color, when to be sold within twelve hours after picking. If to be longer on the way, they should be a trifle underripe but yet full colored. If to be sent by express, use a crate known as the express crate, costing a little more than half the price of the standard crate, and only half the weight.