STORAGE OP CALIFORNIA TABLE GRAPES. 19 



COMMERCIAL TESTS OF 1911. 



In the commercial tests made during the season of 1911, two sepa- 

 rate shipments of Red Emperor grapes packed in drums with a filler 

 of redwood sawdust were made from Fresno, Cal. The introduction 

 into the fruit markets of the East of this method of handling Cali- 

 fornia grapes was made possible by the cooperation with this Bureau 

 of Mr. George C. Roeding, of Fresno, who was later joined by the 

 Backer Bros., in packing the first commercial lot of Emperor grapes 

 in drums. The first shipment consisted of one carload, which was 

 held at Chicago and marketed throughout the season ; the second ship- 

 ment contained approximately one carload, which was held at New 

 York, the bulk of the fruit being sold at auction in time f Or the 

 Christmas trade. Very satisfactory prices were obtained for both 

 lots and more fruit could have been sold to advantage had it been 

 available. The returns from both the Chicago and New York lots 

 were approximately the same, netting about $1.50 per drum f. o. b. 

 California. 1 Notwithstanding the newness of the work, the inex- 

 perience of the packers, and the comparatively high cost of the drums 

 and sawdust the shippers netted approximately $70 per ton for the 

 grapes in the vineyard. It is safe to assume that under large-scale 

 commercial conditions the cost of materials and the expense of han- 

 dling can be greatly reduced. Whether as satisfactory results as those 

 mentioned above can be obtained when a large number of cars are- 

 shipped remains to be demonstrated, however. The ultimate success 

 of the enterprise will depend chiefly upon the elimination of all save 

 the best fruit and upon the care used in the picking, handling, and 

 packing operations. 



An earlier consignment of Flame Tokay grapes shipped during the 

 season of 1911 against the advice of the Bureau workers did not yield 

 satisfactory results. The fruit was of an inferior grade and had 

 been roughly handled and poorly packed. It held in good condition 

 for only a short time and was sold at a considerable loss. While this 

 shipment proved disastrous to the owners of the fruit, it serves as 

 a deterrent object lesson and from that standpoint may be reckoned 

 a useful and valuable experiment. 



COMMERCIAL SHIPMENTS DURING THE SEASON OF 1912. 



During the season of 1912, 19,834 drums of grapes packed in 

 redwood sawdust were shipped" from the San Joaquin Valley of 

 California in accordance with the methods developed as the result 

 of the Bureau work. The average carload lot was about 576 drums. 

 One car of Emperors was sent to Seattle and one to Calgary, while 

 less than carload lots went to various cities of the South and Middle 

 West, The bulk of the shipments went to New York and Chicago, 



1 The drums used in 1911 were smaller than those adopted by the shippers in 1912 

 and held approximately 27 pounds of grapes. 



