and the Department is co-operating with the American Pomological 

 Society in the purification of varietal nomenclature. 



FRUIT 



B 



iorw? 



for s< 



NATIONAL COUNCIL OK HORTICULTURE 103 



FRUIT TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE PREVENTION OF INJURY IN TRAN- 

 SHIPMENTS OF FRUITS. 



Experimental studies of the methods of harvesting, packing and 

 forwarding perishable fruits have been conducted by the Department 

 for several years. In these investigations an effort is made to ascer- 

 tain the relation of varieties, packages, methods of packing, etc., to the 

 requirements of long distance shipment, with special reference to con- 

 ditions experienced in ocean transit. For this purpose experimental 

 export shipments of fruits, chiefly to European markets, have been 

 made during the past few years. The export trade in Bartlett and 

 other early pears is an outgrowth of this experimental work, and the 

 total exports of this fruit now approach a million dollars annually. 

 Experimental shipments of both summer and winter apples have also 

 been made, and the practicability of establishing an export trade in 

 these fruits has been demonstrated. 



FRUIT TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE PREVENTION OF INJURY IN TRAN- 

 SIT, ETC. 



In close relation to the fruit marketing work, just described, the 

 Department is carrying on extensive demonstrations of improved 

 methods of shipping and storing perishable fruits, with special refer- 

 ence to the citrus fruit industry of California and Florida. Large quan- 

 tities of oranges handled in different ways have been under observa- 

 tion in transit in order to determine the temperature changes that 

 occur in the fruit and in the air of the cars. It is planned the coming 

 year to completely equip an experimental refrigerator car for use in 

 this work. These investigations have had the active support of grow- 

 ers, shippers, and transportation interests and on account of the 

 thorough organization of the industry it has been possible to put into 

 practice the results of the investigations. Mechanical injuries to the 

 fruits are being reduced ; packing houses are being remodeled in the 

 direction of simplicity; and the transportation companies have shown 

 a disposition to make their service conform to the facts developed by 

 these experiments. 



The work on fruit storage has been conducted as incidental to the 

 larger work on transportation, and special attention has been given to 

 the farm storage house problem. 



Apart from the regular fruit transportation and storage investiga- 

 tions, some work on methods of curing lemons has been inaugurated 

 during the past year. It is recognized by fruit dealers that while the 

 American lemon is in most respects a very superior fruit, it is deficient 

 in keeping qualities after it reaches the market. To what cause this 

 deficiency is due is an open question. In the hope of getting some 

 light on it, investigations into the methods of handling lemons have 



