30 BULLETIN 35, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



were sold in the principal eastern markets before the sawdust-packed 

 lots reached there. Many buyers of the cork-packed stock handled 

 the fruit at a loss and therefore became suspicious of all California 

 grapes packed in drums. Small lots of Emperor grapes packed in 

 redwood sawdust were offered at the auction sales from day to day, 

 however, and as they were found to be in sound condition the de- 

 mand for them gradually increased, as is shown by the higher prices 

 realized toward the end of the season. Very few complaints were 

 heard from buyers who handled the sawdust-packed fruit. While 

 the . failure of the attempt to pack the Emperor grapes in cork 

 caused considerable criticism and financial loss, the experience was 

 valuable in that it emphasizes the importance of using proper care 

 in packing and shipping as well as the necessity of selecting only 

 the best stock for this rather expensive method of marketing. 



The commercial demonstrations during 1911-12 and 1912-13, as 

 well as the records of the Bureau investigations during the past seven 

 years, show that the method of packing California table grapes with 

 a filler of redwood sawdust and of holding them in cold storage for 

 the holiday market is destined to form one of the successful practices 

 of the grape industry of the State. Thus far the Emperor is the 

 most acceptable variety for this purpose now being produced in Cali- 

 fornia. A study of the methods of cultivating and training the 

 Spanish varieties with a view to producing them on a commercial 

 scale is well worth the efforts of both the Federal authorities and the 

 State station investigators. 



It is not expected that the sawdust-drum pack will replace the 

 crate package for ordinary commercial shipments to any considerable 

 extent. As has been shown, this system of handling is expensive and 

 will therefore prove profitable only for the best grades of fruit, which 

 can be marketed at comparatively high prices. The use of the saw- 

 dust-drum pack for commercial shipments to distant markets requir- 

 ing long periods of transit or for shipments to central markets, 

 there to be broken up and distributed to local points, is not only 

 feasible but offers a means of reaching markets at present inacces- 

 sible, and renders possible the shipment of varieties possessing fine 

 qualities but unadapted to shipment in crates without a filler. 



The establishment of the sawdust-drum pack for California grapes 

 has not been accomplished without opposition. It is a well-known 

 fact that the trade always looks with disfavor upon any change in 

 the established system of packing and handling fruit, and the use 

 of the sawdust filler was no exception to this general rule. It re- 

 quired considerable effort on the part of the Bureau investigators 

 and no little courage on the part of the pioneer commercial shippers 

 to inaugurate this plan. Fortunately, the first commercial demon- 



