4 BULLETIN 35, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



Table III shows how wide was the range in the prices of the differ- 

 ent gradec of Spanish grapes sold at auction in New York during 

 1911-12 and 1912-13. 



Table III. — Range in prices of Spanish grapes sold at auction at New York 

 during the seasons of 1911-12 1 and 1912-13? 



Month. 



Number 



of 

 barrels. 



Extra fancy 

 and fancy. 



Extra choice 

 and choice. 



Ordinary. 



Poor. 





1911. 



17,300 



203,000 

 424,000 

 144,000 



5.S00 



$2. S7M4. 62 J 

 ' 3. 50 - 6. 00 

 3.50 - 9.12| 

 3.75 - 8.50 



SI. 75-$3. 50 

 2. 50- 4. 00 

 2. 50- 3. 75 

 2. 50- 3. 75 



2. 25- 4. 25 



$1. 25-$2. 75 

 2. 00- 2. 87} 

 2. 00- 2. 75 



$0. 25 -81. 75 





.75-2. 87} 





. 37}- 2. 62} 





. 62J- 2. 50 





1912. 





. 62}- 2. 25 















794, 100 



2. 87J- 9. 12| 



1. 75- 4. 25 



1. 25- 2. 87} 



.25-2. 87} 





10,210 

 1S9,200 

 281,600 



19, 390 



1,600 



4. 00 - 4. 87i- 



3. 75 - 9. 12} 

 4.50 - 9.12| 



4. 25 - 6. 12} 



5. 00 - 6. 37} 



2. 50- 3. 75 

 2. 00- 4. 50 

 2. 75- 4. 87h 

 3. 00- 5. 00" 



3. 00- 4. 75 





2. 37} 







1. 00 - 2. 25 







1.50 - 3.00 







1. 12}- 3. 75 





1913. 





1. 12}- 2. 75 













50S.000 



3. 75 - 9. 12} 



2.00- 5.00 





1. 00 - 3. 75 









i First sale, Sept. 22, 1911; last sale, Jan. 2 and 3, 1912. 

 2 First sale, Sept. 17, 1912; last sale, Jan. 6, 1913. 



The grape-storage investigations of the Bureau of Plant Indus- 

 try included a study of the possibility of substituting the native- 

 grown grapes for at least a portion of the imported fruit. It 

 will not be possible to entirely replace the Spanish fruit save by the 

 successful production in commercial quantities of varieties as long 

 keeping as those shipped from Spain. Thus far it has been found 

 impossible to hold any commercial California varieties throughout 

 the entire winter season. The successful storage of California table 

 grapes depends, therefore, upon their adaptability for keeping in 

 sound and marketable condition through the holiday season at least. 



EARLY GRAPE-STORAGE INVESTIGATIONS. 



When the work of the Bureau of Plant Industry was begun in 1906 

 there were no established precedents to servo as guides, no systematic 

 investigation of the behavior of California table grapes in storage 

 Inning been made up to that time. It was necessary, therefore, to 

 study the fundamental factors governing the behavior of (he fruit, 

 and the first efforts in the investigation were directed "toward de- 

 termining the nature of these factors. 



Perhaps the most important of these influences is the type of pack- 

 age in which the fruit is shipped, and next in importance is the 

 character of filler used. Practically all of the California grapes are 



