The Canadian Horticulturi^ 



Floral Edition 



ol. XXXIX 



PETERBORO, JANUARY, 191G 



Strawberry Crates for Ontario m^,^^ ^ 



Edwin Smith, in charge of Fruit Cold Storage and Transportation Investigations, Dominion Cold Storage Division, 



Grimsbv. Ont. 



THE satisfactory strawberry pack- 

 age is one which is attractive in 

 itself and in the display of the 

 fruit, one that will- carry the fruit with 

 the least possible injury, one that is 



of the top tier of boxes falls on the 

 berries beneath instead of on the edges 

 of the underneath boxes, rendering the 

 use of separators of very little benefit. 

 Thus it is impossible to pack the boxes 

 of the crate full without injury to the 

 fruit during shipment. For this reason 

 many growei-s have come to grief at 

 the hands of the fruit inspector, for it 

 is his business to see that all packages 

 are properly filled. This places the 

 strawberry grower in an awkward posi- 

 tion, for if he fills his boxes full the ber- 

 ries are certain to be crushed, bringing 

 claims from the consignee. On the 

 other hand, if the grower fills the boxes 

 so that they Avill not crush, they will 

 not be full enough to conform with the 

 requirements of the Fruit Marks Act 

 and the fruit inspector will "haul him 

 over the coals" for violation of the 

 federal law. 



i 



The Ontario 24 qt. crate which needs to be re- 

 placed by a more suitable package. 



well ventilated and one that will sell 

 so as to make greatest net returns to 

 the growers. The 24-quart crate now 

 used in many parts of Ontario fulfils 

 none of these requirements. 



The 24-quart Ontario crate is more 

 or less fragile, often becoming broken 

 in transit, and has an appearance that 

 is not in keeping with the fruit which 

 it is designed to carry. Of all the 

 packages used to carry fruit, few, if 

 any, can compare with this package 

 in its rough, unattractive makeup. 

 Aside from its ugly appearance, the 

 package has a shakiness that gives the 

 impression that it is ready to fall to 

 pieces, and often it does so before 

 reaching the consumer. It is an easy 

 package to pilfer in less than carload 

 shipments, and one which loads badly 

 on account of its handles when shipped 

 in car lots. 



The greatest fault which is to be 

 found with the package is its coifstrue- 

 tion with regard to the safe carriage 

 of the fruit. The dividers or ppara- 

 fnrs are made so thin that the/ peight 



In testing out the Ontario crate in 

 our pre-cooling experiments during the 

 past season, some very careful packing 

 was done in the Ontario 24-quart crate 

 by the Vineland Horticultural Experi- 

 ment Station. Care was taken to fill 

 the boxes as nearly even full as was 

 justifiable for shipment without injury, 

 and it was thoroughly believed that the 

 packing was done in accordance with 

 the Sales and Inspection Act. After 

 hauling to the Pre-cooling Plant the 

 crates were examined and all boxes 

 were not more than two-thirds full 

 Had the poor grower done the packing, 

 he would have been accused of dis- 

 honesty — yet no other results could 

 have followed with the use of this 

 package. 



In making net returns the Dominion 

 Department's shipping tests have 

 shown that the Ontario crate falls down 



The Ameritjin 24 Qt. (dry measure) strawberry crat<.'. This show.s tiie rratt*, ciip.s and the 

 dividers (.separators) which are placed between the layers. One divider is alaO placed on top , 

 before the cover is nailed on. The three strips running lengthwise rest on ,U<6 edges of the'' 

 boxes and protect the berries from mashing. Probably more berries are slilp^ptsdli thls,jty9^- 

 of berry box than In any other or perhaps all others. ' ,' , • ' ' 



