CONTROL OP DRIED-FRUIT INSECTS IF CALIFORNIA. Id 



all the surface moisture was gone. Lot No. 2 was dried in the sun a 

 few minutes. Lot No. 3 was allowed to drain and cool thoroughly 

 in the shade. Lot No. 4 was allowed to drain a few minutes and 

 was packed while still hot and damp. All were packed in Mason 

 jars, infected with spores from growing fungus, and sealed up. 



On examination one month later no fungous growth was found to 

 have developed on Nos. 1, 2, and 3, but No. 4, the lot which was 

 packed wet and hot, had a very good growth of the fungus. 



The experiment was repeated on September 1, dipping the figs in 

 the hot water three minutes instead of one. On examination two 

 weeks later it was found that in lot No. 1 no growth of fungus had 

 developed. In lots 2 and 3 slight growths were present, and in lot 4 

 a heavy growth. The same figs were used in both experiments, and 

 by the time they had been put through the boiling water the second 

 time their surfaces were softer and stickier than they should be, and 

 hence were good media for fungous growth. 



These experiments confirm the earlier observations, namely, that figs 



thoroughly drained or dried and cooled before packing are less likely 



to develop fungous growth than those packed while still damp and 



warm. 



A CARTON WRAPPING AND SEALING MACHINE. 



Several machines are now being manufactured which do away with 

 the slow and expensive method of wrapping and sealing cartons by 

 hand. Such a machine is shown in Plate VII. The cartons are fed 

 into the hopper at the top and the waxed paper is fed automatically 

 or by hand. The machine wraps the waxed paper neatly and tightly 

 around the carton and seals it air-tight by means of electrically heated 

 plates. One operator is required when equipped with the automatic 

 paper feed, and two without. This particular machine was made 

 to wrap cartons 8 by 3 by 3 inches. It will wrap and seal a mini- 

 mum of 25 to 30 per minute, or about 10,000 per day of eight hours. 

 The cost based on this output, including the waxed paper, wrapping, 

 sealing, power to operate, and wages of the operator, will be less 

 than $1 per 1,000. The maximum output will be from 15,000 to 

 20,000 cartons per day, with a cost at this rate of from $0.80 to $0.90 

 per 1,000. 



At present, by the hand-wrapping method, one girl will average 

 1,000 cartons per day. Thus the machine will easily do the work of 

 a dozen or more girls. 



The cost of hand-wrapping the package referred to is given as $1.75 

 per 1,000. Using the minimum output of the machine for compari- 

 son, the saving in one day's run would be over $7, at which rate the 

 machine would pay for itself in less than four months, since it may 

 be purchased capable of handling any size of carton desired by the 

 purchaser at a retail price of about 



