36 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Crushing or bruising from any cause is to be avoided, as it is often 

 the cause of serious losses on the market. 



The greatest care should be exercised in sorting to place only firm, 

 good-shipping berries in shipping cups and all soft, overripe, injured 

 berries in canning cups. The inclusion of one overripe berry in a 

 cup may spoil the whole cup, one cup a whole crate, and a few such 

 crates a whole carload. 



It is very important that the yards be picked over so frequently 

 that an undue proportion of berries will not become overripe. The 

 frequent picking over of a patch makes good sorting in picking much 

 easier of accomplishment. The 6-basket carrier used in picking 

 should be kept in the shade, and as soon as the cups are filled or the 

 picking completed the berries should be taken to the sorting shed. 



No sorting over of berries in any individual cup should be at- 

 tempted or permitted, owing to injuries resulting from rehandling. 

 Sorting or grading at the shed must necessarily be confined to grad- 

 ing by cups, cups showing overripe or mashed berries to be placed in 

 canning crates or in crates for local shipment only. Cups containing 

 only sound, firm berries should be placed in shipping crates. 



The berries should be hauled to the receiving station on wagons 

 provided with good springs and they should be covered to protect 

 them from both dust and the sun. 



In handling to and from the wagon and to the car the utmost care 

 consistent with commercial requirements and conditions should be 

 exercised to keep the crates in a horizontal position. Tipping crates 

 on end may result in much decay, as the berries are bruised in rolling 

 around in the cups and oftentimes mashed against the cover. 



The berries should be brought in as promptly as possible after 

 picking and promptly placed in a refrigerator car or cooling room, 

 if one is available. Delay, especially in warm weather, in handling 

 the berries, either in the field or at the receiving station, may shorten 

 the life of the fruit and is commonly the cause of serious losses. 



Every precaution should be taken to have the cars iced 12 to 24 

 hours prior to loading and to keep the car doors open only when 

 actually loading. 



The cars should be so loaded as to allow the free circulation of 

 air between the tiers of crates, in order to facilitate quick, effective 

 cooling. 



The crates themselves should be, as far as is consistent with the 

 strength of the packages, the cost of manufacture, etc., partially 

 slatted on the bottom and sides to permit free circulation of the air 

 and quicker refrigeration. 



Strips or racks on the floor would aid very materially in bringing 

 about the quicker and more uniform cooling of the load. The circu- 

 lation would be much freer and more rapid, lessening the temperature 



