the head has about reached maturity and is ready to be harvested. A strong, sharp knife or small hatchet is used for cutting. Two or three of the larger, tender leaves are left and are folded over the head for protection from bruising. Cauliflower should be sorted and graded the same as any other vegetable. Heads less than 32 or 4 inches in diameter, those discolored by the sun or from any other cause, or injured by insects or disease should be rejected from the marketable grades and classed as culls. The heads should be white and compact. Those of the first quality should be covered with soft, but tough, white paper, which can be tucked between the head and leaves without tearing. This keeps the heads in better color and condition and prevents injury from bruising. The half-barrel veneer hamper or the half-barrel slat crate are the most desirable types of package to use. Each head should be placed by hand and the package well filled and firmly packed. CELERY. Celery is no longer looked upon as a luxury, but is considered one of the common vegetable crops. Only well-bleached, firm, crisp plants should be considered for market purposes. These are removed from the bed and the roots trimmed, so as to leave the short, solid stem. Any discolored or loose outside leaves or stalks should be removed. In some localities celery is washed before being bunched and packed. After washing it is allowed to drain, and then tied in bunches of about twelve or fourteen plants each. These are then packed in paper-lined slat crates holding from six to eight bunches. Another method practiced in preparing this crop for market is to trim the plants in the field and pack, without washing or bunching, into flat box crates, as shown in Fig. 25. Note how each plant is firmly and closely packed, with the stems all one way. This latter method is the one most universally employed in preparing and marketing Eastern and Southern-grown celery. It is just as important that the grading and packing of this crop be done carefully as it is in the preparation of any other farm product for market. RADISHES. This crop is grown almost entirely for the early spring market. The main point to be observed in the cultivation is to keep the plants growing continuously, as any check in their growth will cause the roots to become tough and stringy. In order for them to be salable they must be crisp, solid and not oversized. Radishes are usually tied in bunches of about twelve and packed in either half-barrel veneer hampers, as used for shipping lettuce, or in ventilated barrels. The markets seem to be pretty equally divided as to the preference of packages. On account of the perishable nature of the plant, it is advisable in warm weather to put in two or three layers of ice when packing. This tends to prevent decay and keeps the roots fresh and crisp. |