THE REGULATION OF THE PRUIT TRADE 63 



is the precooling of the packed fruits or vegetables by blasts of very cold 

 air immediately before or just after they have been placed in the refrige- 

 rator cars. When perishable goods are stowed at their normal tempe- 

 rature in a refrigerator car the limited quantity of ice used does not chill 

 them for several days. As a result they continue to ripen and in many 

 cases begin to decay. PrecooHng obviously cannot be practised by indi- 

 vidual consigners on a small scale but it woidd be profitable in many cases 

 to co-operative associations. It has proved particularly valuable to such 

 of these associations as transport oranges from California across the con- 

 tinent. 



The Office of Markets and Rural Organization finds that the producer 

 may grow and even develop varieties of fruit or vegetables which will re- 

 main in good condition for long periods and stand better than the usual 

 varieties the delays and rough handling to which consignments may be 

 subjected before they reach the consumer. 



c) Sale. — The losses of perishable fruits and vegetables are not 

 due solely to the mechanical operations of marketing — the handling at 

 producing points, on cars and at the market. The intangible machinery 

 of supply and demand causes the heaviest losses, bringing about violent 

 fluctuations of price and also gluts. One fact emphasized by the investi- 

 gations of the Office of Markets and Rural Organization is that even when 

 there is a severe general glut of a commodity that quantity of it which 

 is really first-class can often be sold profitably. Indication of an impend- 

 ing glut should therefore cause the producer to grade more strictly than 

 ever. Gluts due to faulty distribution can be prevented when it is possi- 

 ble to keep consigners accurately informed as to supplies at marketing 

 points. By surveys of producing areas and market centres the Office of 

 Markets and Rural Organization has collected as many data as possible 

 with regard to the supply of and demand for perishable produce. The 

 normal consuming power of numerous markets for certain products has 

 been ascertained and the data have been furnished to consigners with ex- 

 cellent results. 



The advantages gained by standardized handhng, grading and pack- 

 ing are strikingly shown by results obtained in the Californian citrus 

 industry. Large losses accompanied almost every consignment to eastern 

 markets in the earliest days of the industry, when practically all enter- 

 prise was individualistic. Many such losses were due to defective trans- 

 port but an appreciable proportion to a failure properly to grade and pack 

 the fruit. Co-operative organizations arose and undertook to a large ex- 

 tent the work of grading and packing. Losses were material^ reduced 

 but not to the point felt to be desirable. Investigations begun by the de- 

 partment shortly after 1900 disclosed the fact that careless picking was 

 chiefly responsible for the remaining losses. Picking as well as grading 

 and packing was then standardized throughout the industry, and losses 

 were brought down to a very satisfactory minimum. 



Recent investigations of the canteloupe industry by the Office of Mar- 

 kets and Rural Organization showed the need of standardizing the hand- 



