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



144 carloads being sold at auction and private sale in New York 

 alone. Most of the grapes were Emperors from the Fresno and 

 Yisalia districts, but a few carloads of Malagas were shipped from 

 Sultana. They included 5,805 drums of the shipper-A brand 

 from Visalia and the following lots shipped from Fresno: 3,310 

 drums of the shipper-B brand; 3,021 drums from shipper D; 1,191 

 drums from shipper E, and 1,123 and 300 drums from shippers 

 G and F, respectively; 519 drums were sent by shipper C; 86 by 

 shipper H; and 14 by shipper J. From the Lindsay district 2,045 

 drums were sent by shipper K, and from Sultana 1,833 drums were 

 sent by shipper L and 284 by shipper M. These last two consign- 

 ments were of Malaga and Cornichon. The shipment of Emperors 

 began on October 16 from Las Palmas and continued until Novem- 

 ber 29. 



In addition to the sawdust-packed shipments, which were handled 

 largely under the supervision of the Bureau workers, about 30 cars 

 of Emperor grapes, packed in ground cork, were also shipped from 

 the Fresno district. A number of these cars were shipped to Buffalo, 

 Pittsburgh, New York, Boston, and one or two southern cities, but 

 most of them were consigned to various points in the Middle West, 

 between Chicago and New Orleans. These grapes were disposed of 

 partly at private sale and partly at auction, and in several cities were 

 sold at the same time as those packed in sawdust. The poor condi- 

 tion of the fruit when offered for sale and the low prices received for 

 many lots bear out the results of the Bureau experimental investiga- 

 tions on packing materials. Most of these grapes were shipped 

 under ventilation without refrigeration, and were held in common 

 storage after arrival in the East; in some cases the cars were side- 

 tracked and held without unloading for two or three weeks after 

 arrival. The early deterioration of the fruit did not permit keeping 

 it in sound condition for the holiday market. 



At the time when the grapes which were packed in sawdust were 

 offered for sale and were in prime condition, the offerings of the 

 cork-packed Emperors showed in some cases more than 50 per cent 

 of decay and sold at a price which did not cover freight charges. It 

 should be borne in mind that the poor showing made by these ship- 

 ments was not due solely to the use of cork instead of sawdust. While 

 the Bureau work has proved conclusively that grapes packed in red- 

 wood sawdust hold longer and better than those packed in cork, the 

 difference in their favor is not as great as that shown in the shipments 

 noted above, other things being equal. The variable quality of the 

 grapes, improper or rough handling, delay in packing the fruit after 

 it had been picked, shipment without refrigeration, and holding in 

 common instead of cold storage, as well as the use of cork, were the 



