APPLE MARKET INVESTIGATIONS, 1914-15. 13 



Great improvement could have been made in shipping bulk fruit. 

 A number of cars arrived in bad condition, due principally to two 

 causes. First, large quantities of undersized, wormy, bruised, and 

 otherwise defective fruit were shipped in heavily loaded cars and 

 decayed easily when subjected to the heat generated in fresh vege- 

 table products placed in bulk. Furthermore, bulk fruit was shipped 

 frequently in ordinary box cars. It was impossible properly to ven- 

 tilate the fruit in these cars, although attempts were made in some 

 cases to slat the doorways, thus allowing a slight circulation of air. 

 Some shippers used foresight and good judgment in ordering venti- 

 lators far in advance of shipment, but it is impossible to secure this 

 equipment at all times when the movement of fruit products is 

 heavy. 



Many consignments of properly picked and graded bulk fruit 

 arrived in very poor condition, because they were loaded in improp- 

 erly constructed cars. Other consignments of bulk fruit, having been 

 shipped under proper conditions, arrived at the markets in such good 

 shape that the owners packed the fruit in barrels and placed it in 

 cold storage. 



In some cities the transportation companies provided for the fruit 

 a minimum of protection from the weather. After a few days of con- 

 tinuous rain in St. Louis, Mo., the investigator of this office visited 

 the levee, where thousands of barrels had been stacked three tiers 

 high. It was noted that the commission men had attempted to 

 protect the barrels with tarpaulins, but this was insufficient. The 

 coverings failed to cover all of the barrels, and those at the bottom 

 of the stacks were thoroughly soaked also as the water ran down the 

 levee. These barrels immediately swelled, the hoops split, and the 

 heads and staves bulged. The fruit depreciated 25 cents or more per 

 barrel on account of poor terminal facilities. 



GRADE AND PACKAGE LAWS. 



In New York State the effect of the apple grade and package law 

 was studied. The law is mandatory and provides for four grades — 

 "Fancy/' "A grade," "B grade," and "Unclassified." Very few 

 growers packed the "Fancy grade," because they thought its speci- 

 fications too strict, and owing to the large crop and scarcity of labor 

 there was a tendency to pack those grades which could be prepared 

 most easily. 



The first year's operation of this statute resulted in a marked 

 improvement in the marketing of the apple crop of the State, and it 

 is generally conceded that it has been very beneficial. It established 

 confidence at a time when confidence was sorely needed. Its grades 

 for the most part proved to bo a common language between the 



