PACKING Packing — To nave. — Obtain plenty of barrels, and a relatively large number of small packing cases rather than a few large ones, a quan tity of excelsior, burlap, and strong manila cord. Also a number of strong manila tags on which write, stamp, or print your name and the address to which the goods are to be shipped. Number these tags from 1 upward. Pack, as far as possible, by themselves articles from each sep arate room or part of the house, and note in a blank book the contents of each barrel, case, or package. For example, if numbers 1 to 5 are china, and numbers 5 to 10 are kitchen hardware, the packages can be de livered to the appropriate part of the house and unpacked as required without confusion.
To Pack China.—Pack china and other fragile articles, also small me tallic objects, as lamps, kitchenware, bric-a-brac, ctc., in barrels rather than packing cases. To pack such articles, first cover the bottom of the barrel with a layer 3 or 4 inches deep of excelsior or fine hay slightly moistened. Wrap each article sepa rately in newspaper or tissue paper. Select the larger and heavier pieces and lay a number of them side by side 2 or 3 inches apart. Stack plates and platters together, with just enough packing material between them to sep arate them of an inch or so, and stand them on edge. Nest together in the same way cups and saucers, sauce dishes, and other articles of similar shape and size, putting a lit tle packing between, but handling the entire nest in packing as one solid article. Take special care to protect handles and other protuberances so that no strain will be likely to come upon them.
Surround these dishes with a layer of excelsior or hay 2 or 3 inches in thickness, crowding the packing ma terial also between them, and finally cover them with a layer of equal thickness. On this lay a number of other articles of somewhat smaller size and less weight, surrounding, separating, and covering them with several inches of packing material, and pressing all so firmly together that they cannot be shaken out of place. Shake the barrel occasionally, and if any two pieces are not prop erly separated by the packing mate rial, the fact can be detected by the sound of their contact.
Continue to add successive layers until the barrel is filled within 4 or 5 inches of the top. Fill in this space with packing material, heap it up, take off the top hoop, throw over the top a piece of burlap, replace the hoop, and tack it securely so as to hold the burlap in position. Fas ten on the burlap near the top a tag containing your address on one side and on the other the words, " Fragile —This Side Up With Care." To Pack Cut Glass.—Cut glass and delicate bric-a-brac, lamp shades, and the like may be packed in the same manner as china, or carefully wrapped in cloth and packed in bar rels surrounded with pillows, or placed in trunks containing clothing, or in clothes baskets surrounded by pillows and covered with burlap. Barrels and baskets crated and marked " Fragile " will be handled with much more care than wooden cases, the lids of which are nailed or screwed on.
To Pack Pictures. — Pack small pictures face to face, with blankets or quilts or other folds of heavy reau drawers, with thick layers of clothing above and below them.
Or place two large pictures face to face separated by a quilt, tie them with strong cord, and surround the whole with a crate of rough boards.
To Pack Mirrors.—Place two mir rors face to face, with several thick nesses of cloth between, and crate them.
To Pack Furniture.—Remove all movable parts from furniture, as the splasher racks from washstands, mir rors from bureaus, and the like. Re move the casters, tie together with stout cord those belonging to each article of furniture and attach them to some part of the article or drop them into a bureau drawer. Thus they can be found when wanted.
Pack the drawers with clothing and put small pictures, platters, and similar breakable articles between. Surround the whole with burlap sewed together at the corners, and crate with rough boards. Wrap the legs of chairs, serving tables, etc., with manila paper, newspapers, or cloth, and wind them with a stout cord secured so that it will not slip.