BUREAU OF MARKETS. 463 



and to investigate the couditiond sunuunding the hve-stock, meat, 

 dairy, and wool industries of those countries. This investigation 

 probably will not be completed until the fall of 1918. 



Economic conditions and agricultural market developments 

 throughout the world have been studied, foreign publications exarn- 

 ined, and the information resulting therefrom compiled for use in 

 answering inquiries. 



PRESERVATION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN TRANSIT AND STORAGE. 



For several years the Department of Agriculture has conducted 

 investigations to determine the amount of deterioration which is 

 caused by the manner in which fruits and vegetables are harvested, 

 packed, stored, and shipped, and, by the use of emergency funds, 

 extensive demonstrations are being made to bring about the practical 

 application of the information obtained in these investigations. This 

 work, which is under the supervision of Mr. H. J. Ramsey, was for- 

 merly carried on in the Bureau of Plant Industry in conjunction with 

 other work of a similar nature. In order to place the marketing 

 phases of these investigations within the proper bureau, the work 

 described below was transferred to the Bureau of Markets upon 

 recommendation of Dr. William A. Taylor, Chief of the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, provision being made for such action in the estimates for 

 the fiscal year 1919. 



Studies regarding methods of harvesting and handling fruits and 

 vegetables have been continued along lines previously established. 

 During the past year Florida oranges, strawberries shipped from 

 Florida, Louisiana, and Missouri, tomatoes, other southern vegetables, 

 and cantaloupes shipped from California, Arizona, and Colorado 

 have been made the subject of such investigations. Studies have 

 been made of the degree of maturity at which cantaloupes, tomatoes, 

 and some other vegetables should be picked, and of the effect of 

 delay between picking and shipping fruits and vegetables. Data 

 secured in an investigation regarding the desirability of wrapping 

 Florida oranges have shown that oranges shipped unwrapped arrive 

 in the market in practically as good condition as those that are 

 wrapped. By eliminating wrapping, large unnecessary costs may 

 be saved and the shipment of the fruit may be greatly facilitated. 



Every effort has been made to demonstrate to growers and handlers 

 of fruits and vegetables that decay and deterioration in transit can 

 be reduced by the introduction of more careful and efficient handling 

 methods. It was found that in many sections where work of this 

 nature has been carried on previously there was a tendency on the 

 part of shippers to permit handling standards to be lowered because 

 of the difficulty of obtaining experienced labor. So far as possible 

 this tendency was counteracted by educational work, and in many 

 sections where work had not previously been done demonstrations 

 were made throughout the shipping season. 



Studies of the efficiency of refrigerator cars used for the trans- 

 portation of fruits and vegetables were continued, and extensive 

 demonstrations were made of the practicability, through modifica- 

 tions in construction, of increasing the efficiency of such equipment 

 and of effecting economies in the transportation of perishable ship- 

 ments. Practically all of the refrigerator cars built during the past 

 year conform in principle to the designs recommended by this bureau. 



