28 BULLETIN" 35, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



tight packages and the insulation provided by the sawdust held the 

 heat for a considerable length of time and rapid deterioration re- 

 sulted. Very poor prices were realized in New York, as the fore- 

 going figures show. 



It is not fair to base any conclusion as to the storage value of 

 Malaga and Cornichon grapes as compared with Emperor grapes 

 on the relative prices realized for the different lots during the past 

 season. The varying conditions under which the different brands 

 were prepared for market had much to do with the variation in the 

 average prices received. The previous experiments of the Bureau 

 (see Table IV) indicate that properly handled Malaga and Cornichon 

 grapes should keep in good condition for at least two months. The 

 low prices received for these varieties during 1912-13, after a holding- 

 period of two months, were probably caused by the presence of decay 

 due to the manner in which the fruit was prepared for storage. 



These details as to the prices received for the different lots are 

 given in order to show the extremes. The range is no greater than 

 is frequently the case in the lots of crate-packed grapes, due to the 

 varying quality and condition of the fruit upon arrival in market. 

 The average price obtained for the 19,834 drums sold during the 

 season in the various markets enumerated above was $2.58 per drum. 



The fruit buyers of the different cities to which small trial ship- 

 ments were made showed great interest in the method of marketing 

 California grapes packed in drums with a filler of redwood sawdust. 

 The prices realized at the auction sales in these cities were equal to 

 or higher than those which prevailed in the New York auction 

 market, and this year's records indicate that a number of the smaller 

 cities can handle at very satisfactory prices from one to four or five 

 carloads of Emperor grapes packed in drums. Buyers have sent in 

 very favorable reports from all the places where these grapes were 

 offered for sale, and it was impossible to meet their demands this 

 year with the shipments which were sent out from Chicago and New 

 York. The best policy would seem to be to store carloads of the 

 fruit at a number of points between Chicago and New York in the 

 northern territory in order to meet the local demands. It is probable 

 also that less trouble will be experienced in obtaining storage room 

 in the smaller cities than would be the case if an attempt were made 

 to store a large quantity of fruit in Chicago or New York. The 

 different brands should be kept separate in storage and accurate 

 records maintained of each lot, so that withdrawals may be readily 

 made. Failure to follow this plan during the season of 1912-13 

 caused much confusion in making deliveries to buyers and also 

 greatly increased the expense of handling the drums in the storage 

 warehouses. 



