STORAGE OF CALIFORNIA TABLE GRAPES. 



13 



ard size for the future. This drum holds from 33 to 36 pounds of 

 grapes net. The drum used for the commercial shipments of 1912 

 will be discussed later. 



The Almeria grapes imported from Spain are packed in barrels 

 made of thin staves of oak, chestnut, or pine supported by wooden 

 hoops. As was previously stated, the average net weight of fruit 

 in these packages is about 47 pounds. These barrels are sometimes 

 broken open in transit and the grapes greatly damaged by rough 

 handling. 



PACKING GRAPES IN REDWOOD SAWDUST. 



The importance of packing quickly and of storing and cooling 

 promptly can not be too strongly emphasized, especially when a filler 



Pig. 2. — A stack of field boxes of grapes, showing the method used to cool the fruit dur- 

 ing the night. 



of redwood sawdust is used. The temperature of the grapes at the 

 time of packing is an important factor in preserving the fruit in good 

 condition during a long holding period. Sawdust has a strong insu- 

 lating effect, and even under the best conditions cooling within the 

 package is comparatively slow. It is therefore imperative to have 

 the grapes as cool as possible when packed. All fruit picked during 

 the hot part of the day should be cooled overnight by stacking the 

 field boxes in the vineyard, and the grapes should be packed the 

 next morning before they have a chance to warm. In this way the 



