22 BULLETIN 196, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGEICULTURE. 



after they are emptied, with steam turned on to saturate the atmosphere and sulphur 

 burned or sulphurous acid gas liberated to act as a disinfectant. This does not 

 require a large place, much time, or expense. 



To test the effect of box infection upon spoilage, strawberries, loganberries, and 

 raspberries were obtained and each lot divided into two parts. One part was placed 

 in clean new veneer boxes and the second part in boxes which had been used and 

 become slightly moldy. They were held under the same conditions for 48 hours, 

 at the end of which time each berry was examined. Twenty per cent of those in 

 the new boxes showed some mold, while 80 per cent of those in the used boxes 

 showed infection. When tomatoes cost $10 a ton, fruits from $20 to $50 a ton, and 

 berries from $50 to $80 a ton, the importance of reducing the waste from packing to 

 the minimum becomes obvious. 



The standard California berry case is made of good lumber and in a careful manner 

 so that it may be used for shipping purposes for several seasons. The length is 41 

 inches, width 17J inches, and height 16 inches. The interior is divided by three par- 

 titions into four compartments, each with five drawers. The drawer is 15^ inches 

 long, 8f inches wide, and 2 inches deep. A hinged door closes over the front of the 

 drawers so that they remain securely in place. The material used in the chest ia 

 three-quarters of an inch thick, the partitions being 1 inch. The veneer boxes used 

 are 4 by 5 by 1^- inches or 7 by 8 by IJ inches. 



The standard fruit box has the length 24 inches, width 15 inches, and height 9 

 inches. The material is three-fourths of an inch thick and has stacking guards IJ^ 

 inches wide across the ends. 



Fruits are the easiest of all articles to can, as subjecting them to a boiling tempera- 

 ture for a short time is sufficient for sterilization in nearly all cases. Formerly it was 

 the practice to pack almost all fruit in No. 3 cans, but recently many changes have 

 been made. Eastern fruits, particularly those of high grade, are packed very largely 

 in the No. 2, while in California the No. 2^ open-top has wholly displaced the No. 3 

 solder-top cans. The quantity of fruit placed in the No. 2^ open-top can is only 

 slightly less than that held by the old style No. 3. The No. 2 is coming into use on 

 the coast, also the No. 1 flat or picnic size for whole or large fruit, and the No. 1 tall 

 for sliced stock. The picnic size has the same diameter as the No. 2J but is shorter, 

 being well designed for a small service. A new No. 2 having the same diameter 

 as the No. 2^ has made its appearance. These changes ara evidence that the packer 

 realizes the importance of having containers better adapted to packing his products 

 in an attractive form and of having sizes better suited to the needs of the consumer. 



In canning fruits the general practice is to fill the cans as level full as is possible 

 without crushing or mashing, and then add the necessary hot sirup to fill the inter- 

 stices. The amount of fruit used depends upon the variety, the size of pieces, and 

 the state of maturity. When seven or eight large pieces of peaches or pears fill a can, 

 the spaces between them are much greater than when 20 pieces are used. Under 

 such conditions it is obvious that weight alone is not the proper standard for passing 

 judgment, as in the former case the can may be full and contain only 17 or 18 ounces, 

 while in the latter there may be 20 ounces or more. In medium-sized fruits, as 

 peaches, pears, and apricots, a difference of 1 or 2 ounces may easily result from 

 layering the fruits in the cans. This is done with display material in glass, but since 

 it can not be done by machinery that refinement is not used in packing in tin, though 

 some arranging is done on the better grades to insure a fair degree of uniformity in the 

 pack. Such fruits as strawberries and raspberries will differ to the extent of 2 ounces 

 in the packing weight, 20 ounces or more of raspberries being easily packed in a No. 

 2^ can, while it might require much crushing of strawberries to attain that result. 

 Each product should be packed closely and according to its individual character- 

 istics and not according to a set rule for a whole line. 



