Packages 141 



for the purpose of deceiving them as to the contents. 

 The LesUe box is not economical of space in the crate, and 

 it is difficult to pick up without bending the sides and 

 bruising the berries. The raised bottom often splits off, 

 causing the box to tip over ; or it may cup up and drop 

 out entirely. Hallock and Leslie boxes are somewhat 

 cheaper than American Standard boxes, but the latter are 

 more substantial, and most markets prefer them. 



Cubic contents. 



There has been much confusion about the size of straw- 

 berry boxes. The chief difficulty has been the difference 

 between dry measure and liquid measure. In the United 

 States, a legal dry quart contains sixty-seven and one- 

 fifth cubic inches, level measure ; a legal liquid quart — 

 commonly called wine measure — contains fifty-seven 

 and three-fourths cubic inches. Berry boxes have been 

 made under both standards and both have sold as a quart 

 of berries. For many years, most markets did not dis- 

 criminate in price between the dry quart and the wine 

 quart ; frequently, dealers would buy berries in dry quart 

 boxes and sell them in wine quart boxes, gaining one quart 

 in five. Recently several states have enacted laws making 

 it illegal to market strawberries in any but standard dry 

 quart or dry pint boxes and the federal government, 

 also, is exerting pressure in the direction. This is forcing 

 growers in the chief producing districts to adopt the 

 standard dry measure box, since a large proportion of their 

 strawberries are shipped to markets where wine quarts 

 are not allowed. From present indications, dry measure 

 will be used exclusively within a few years.^ 



1 The following states require the use of the United States standard 

 dry measure for strawberries that are shipped or marketed within their 



