4 BULLETIN 688, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



During the first half of the strawberry shipping season in 1917 

 the weather conditions were favorable, but during the last half there 

 were frequent rains and the nights were hot. Practically all of the 

 shipments of strawberries that were made during the first half of the 

 1917 strawberry shipping season were 'received in very good condi- 

 tion, but nearly all of the shipments that were made during the last 

 half of the season were received in unsatisfactory condition. The 

 same methods of picking and packing the berries were practiced during 

 the entire season, so it is evident that the difference in the condition 

 of the berries when they were received was due almost entirely to 

 weather conditions. 



GENERAL CONSroERATIONS. 



An effort was made to ascertain the best shipping varieties of 

 strawberries by making a special study of the shipping qualities 

 of the different varieties that were mailed to the bureau, but because 

 of the differences in berries of the same variety grown under different 

 conditions it was impossible to draw any definite conclusions. Many 

 growers had two or more kinds of strawberries in the same field and 

 it was often difficult to determine the variety of a berry that was 

 grown in these fields. 



A grower who wishes to market strawberries direct to consumers 

 should ship varieties the berries of which are naturally firm. Va- 

 rieties with large green caps present a good appearance and often are 

 preferred to berries which are superior in quality but which do not 

 look so attractive. Growers should realize that consumers in buying 

 farm produce judge quality largely by appearance, and that berries 

 which present an attractive appearance when they reach the con- 

 sumer usually will give the best satisfactioii. 



Many persons who market strawberries apparently do not realize 

 that berries which are to be shipped should not be allowed to become 

 as ripe as those which are to be used immediately. Because of 

 weather conditions a grower can not always pick his berries at the 

 proper time, but if strawberries are to be shipped by parcel post they 

 should be entirely free from overripe fruit, as two or three overripe- 

 berries in each quart will cause considerable damage in such ship- 

 ments and also will make the entire lot unattractive upon arrival at 

 destination. 



Berries which are water-soaked when they are picked or which have 

 grown rapidly after a rain can not be shipped satisfactorily by parcel 

 post. During hot weather, parcel-post shipments of strawberries 

 usually arrive in poor condition as the berries become soft and crushed 

 in transit. In such cases the berries are not attractive and must be 

 used at once to prevent spoilage. The successful use of the parcel 

 post for shipping strawberries is governed largely by weather con- 

 ditions, and difficulty often results because of frequent rains and 

 high humidity during the strawberry shipping season. 



