BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 451 



The handling and shipping work with Florida citrus fruits has 

 been discontinued, after having been in progress during six succes- 

 sive seasons. The work of the last season was devoted mainly to a 

 demonstration of the efi'ectiveness of careful handling methods in the 

 prejiaration of Florida citrus fruits for market. This work was con- 

 ducted on as large a scale as possible, in order to apply the results of 

 the department investigations to actual practice. The Florida citrus 

 industry has been completely changed as a result of the department 

 work, and a tremendous saving to the citrus growers has been accom- 

 plished, not only in the quantity of fruit actually saved, but in the 

 reputation of Florida citrus fruits as related to the possibility of 

 extending the markets for them. 



Much attention has been given during the past six years to the feasi- 

 bility of holding California table grapes in cold storage, in order to 

 avoid serious gluts and to replace the imported Spanish fresh grapes 

 with the American product. This work has shown the necessity of 

 using a filling material in packing the grapes intended for long hold- 

 ing. The Spanish grapes are packed in ground cork, but on account 

 of the impracticability of obtaining the cork in sufficient quantities 

 and at a low price an investigation of different substitutes has been 

 made, with the result that California redwood sawdust has been found 

 to be admirably adapted to this purpose. The grapes packed with 

 this material keep longer and in better condition than in the ground 

 cork. 



The table-grape storage work has received commercial recognition in 

 California. During the past season several carloads of grapes, after 

 being packed in redwood sawdust under the supervision of depart- 

 ment investigators, were held in cold storage in New York City and 

 Chicago "for the holiday trade. They found ready sale on the mar- 

 kets at prices well in advance of fruit packed in ordinary open crates. 

 The interest of grape growers and shippers has been aroused to the 

 extent that plans have been made to pack about 100 carloads of grapes 

 for storage during the coming season. 



Among the lines of work planned for the next fiscal year the ex- 

 tension of the grape-storage work on a commercial scale is contem- 

 plated, together with further investigations of the handling and pre- 

 cooling of peaches from Georgia and from the Northwest, raspberries, 

 loganberries, and strawberries. 



The continuation and extension of the investigation of the behavior 

 in storage of apples from the Northwest is also a line to which special 

 attention will be given. A study of the picking, packing, storing, 

 and possible exporting of Florida grapefruit will replace the orange 

 handling and shipping work in that State during the coming year. 



During the fiscal year 1014 an extension and continuation of all 

 the fruit-handling, precooling, and storage lines is contemplated. 

 Many calls are Inung received from different fruit-producing sections 

 of the country for investigations and demonstrations along these 

 lines, and it is urgent that a sufficient staff of workers and suitable 

 equipment be ])r()vided to enable the work to go on simultaneously in 

 several dilTerent regions. The investigation of the exporting of 

 American fruits to foreign countries, with special reference to the 

 apple, is a line of worlc which demands attention, and it is hoped that 

 provision will be made for this investigation during the next fiscid 

 year. 



