BUREAU OP MARKETS. 437 



shippers, package manufacturers, and officials of transportation com- 

 panies in the interest of standard packages, better-made packages, 

 and better loading of cars. Work under the United States standard 

 container act is reported under the regulatory work of the bureau. 



MARKET INSPECTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



At the request of growers, shippers, and associations, a cantaloupe 

 inspection service was conducted in the Rocky Ford-Ordway section 

 of Colorado during the shipping season of 1916. Its purpose was to 

 put into effect grading and handling methods which had been pre- 

 viously worked out by the Bureau of Markets. 



During October, November, and December an experimental in- 

 spection of boxed apples from Northwestern States and Colorado, 

 destined to and through Fort Worth, Tex., was conducted. This 

 inspection covered the condition of the fruit upon arrival at Fort 

 Worth and the efficiency with which it had been handled, graded, and 

 packed. The purposes were to determine the feasibility of such an 

 inspection system, the methods to be employed, and the difficulties 

 to be encountered, and, incidentally, to obtain for the shippers in- 

 formation concerning the condition and quality of their fruit upon 

 arrival at destinations. 



APPLE PACKING HOUSES IN THE NORTHWEST. 



In the Pacific Northwest during the apple-picking season of 1916, 

 an investigation of packing-house plans, equipment, and manage- 

 ment was conducted, the purpose being to determine the best and 

 most economical methods of handling apples from the orchard 

 through all the packing-house operations to the car. The studies 

 were made in 60 packing houses including community houses, com- 

 mercial houses, and ranch houses. Sizing machines were tested for 

 accuracy and efficiency, and the various handling methods were com- 

 pared as to their economy, efficiency, and effect upon the physical 

 condition of the fruit. Special attention was given to the arrange- 

 ment of the floor space for convenience and the elimination of lost 

 motion and to the use of equipment for saving labor. A preliminary 

 report on the work was published as Markets Document 4, Pre- 

 liminary Report on Apple Packing Houses in the Northwest. 



TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE. 



As reported last year, the great value of the transportation section 

 of the bureau, under the leadership of Mr. G. C. White, lies in its 

 function of a traffic department for the bureau as a whole. Through 

 this section the bureau has secured the cooperation of 367 railroads, 

 6 express companies, and 6 boat line^ in sending fairly prompt and 

 accurate reports of the shipping of fruits, vegetables, and live stock, 

 for use in the reporting services described elsewhere. 



LOSS OF FOODSTUFFS IN TRANSIT. 



The Nation's program of food conser\ation accentuates the im- 

 portance of the work in cooperation with the railroads, reported as 

 in progress last year, for the prevention of the loss of foodstuffs in 



