BUREAU OF MARKETS. 563 



packing plants, including boxed and barreled apples, creamery and 

 packing-stock butter, 7 varieties of cheese, case and frozen eggs, 5 

 classes of frozen poultry, 9 varieties of frozen and cured meats, lard, 

 23 varieties of frozen fish, and 2 varieties of cured fish. They fur- 

 nish information showing the stocks on hand for the 1st day of 

 each month, except for the reports on fish, which show the holdings 

 of the 15th of the month. The excellent cooperation received from 

 cold-storages and packing plants makes it possible to compile very 

 complete and accurate reports. 



During the year the reports were amplified to show the receipts 

 and deliveries each month and the quantities of cured meats and 

 lard manufactured monthly. 



The discontinuance of the practice of obtaining information by 

 telegraph from storages in the Pacific Coast States on account of 

 insufficient funds makes it impossible to issue the reports until the 

 15th of the month, whereas formerly they were published on the 10th. 

 The value of the reports is considerably enhanced when publication 

 is made at the earlier date. 



PRESERVATION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN TRANSIT AND 



STORAGE. 



Work on the preservation of fruits and vegetables in transit and 

 storage during the fiscal year covered by this report was supervised 

 by Mr. C. W. Mann. Although excellent progress was made, it 

 was necessary practically to discontinue several important lines of in- 

 vestigation and demonstration on account of curtailment of funds. 



Investigations of handling apples and pears in the course of har- 

 vesting, packing, and transporting, and the determination of the 

 stage of maturity at which they should be picked, were begun ; also 

 investigations to determine the factors responsible for the decay 

 and deterioration in shipments of these fruits from the Pacific North- 

 west. A study of the methods of precooling and refrigerating Cali- 

 fornia oranges w^as undertaken in cooperation with the California 

 Fruit Growers' Exchange. The results of the precooling investiga- 

 tions should be of very great value to the citrus industry, both in 

 California and Florida, as well as to the deciduous fruit industry 

 in various parts of the country. In other investigations it Avas found 

 that brown rot in peaches could be materially reduced by more 

 effective refrigeration. It was also found that injuries resulting 

 from improper methods of harvesting and handling in the field and 

 in storage wore responsible for much of the early decay of sweet 

 potatoes. Bettor methods have boon extensively demonstrated to 

 growers and shippers in producing sections. 



In cooperation with the United States Railroad Administration 

 a survey was made of railroad icing stations in the eastern Central 

 States, whicli brought forth information as to tlie economy and 

 efficiency of ice storages and icing equipment, metliods of operation 

 and other factors. Information has been furnished shippers regard- 

 ing the pr()i)er methods of lining, loading, and heating cars used 

 for tlio shii)ment of potatoes, apples, nnd other jirodiicts during the 

 winter months. 



