8 BULLETIN 688, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



wish to ship strawberries by parcel post should endeavor to get cus- 

 tomers who will take a crate of berries and divide it among their 

 neighbors. 



Growers who send strawberries direct to consumers should always 

 use clean, new crates and baskets in order that a good appearance 

 will be presented. The crates need not be made of heavy material, 

 but should be strong enough to carry the berries safely. A crate 

 with slatted sides and bottoms made of material which does not split 

 easily is the most satisfactory. 



MAILING STRAWBERRIES. 



A crate of strawberries or any other shipment which is sent by maU 

 should bear the name and address of the sender, preceded by the 

 word "From." This should be written legibly on the cover of the 

 crate in the upper left hand corner. The full name and address of 



Fig. 4. — Unsatisfactory packages and methods cf preparing terries for shipment hy parcel post. Puch 

 packages do not allow ventilation and also do not comply with the regulations of the Post OfHce 

 Department. 



the person to whom the parcel is sent should be written legibly on the 

 cover of the crate or if it is written on a tag, care should be exercised 

 to fasten the tag securely* to the crate. If the parcel is sent to a city, 

 complete street address should be given. The crate should be marked 

 "Perishable" so that it will be handled properly in the mad. 



The regulations of the Post Office Department state that straw- 

 berries in parcels weighing less than 20 poundfe will not be accepted 

 for mailing unless they are inclosed in an imier cover and strong outer 

 cover of wood, metal, heavy corrugated pasteboard, or other suitable 

 material, and wrapped so that nothing can escape from the package. 

 As previously stated, the results of the experimental sliipments made 

 by this bureau prove that berries can not be shipped satisfactorily 

 when packed so that they will not receive ventilation. The packages 

 and methods of wrapping that are illustrated in figure 4 should be 

 avoided in making parcel post shipments. 



If berries are sent in parcels weighing less than 20 pounds and are 

 packed in accordance with the regulations of the Post Office Depart- 



