CONTROL OF DRIED-FRUIT INSECTS IN CALIFORNIA. 11 
THE SEAL. 
The fiber-board package was found to be tight, except at the cor- 
ners and where the flaps meet in the middle of the sides. An attempt 
was made to seal these places with gummed tape, but the labor 
required to do this increased the cost of packing to such an extent 
as to make the method unfeasible. 
An inner seal was then so constructed that when the carton was 
regularly sealed there would be no cracks or openings at the corners. 
(See Pl. ITT, fig. 1.) 
The inner seal appears practical from the packer’s point of view, 
but the carton manufacturer claims that it would be difficult to 
make it cheaply enough without special machinery, although this 
would probably be made were there a demand for such cartons. 
ADVANTAGES OF THE SEALED CARTON FOR DRIED FRUIT. 
As long as dried fruit can be processed so that mold is no more 
prevalent in sealed packages than in unsealed ones the disadvantages 
of this type of package, with the possible exception of the extra cost, 
aré negligible. The advantages, on the other hand, are several. 
The main object of the sealed carton is the exclusion of infesting 
insects. This is accomplished very successfully and so solves a large 
portion of the present problem. 
It also prevents the evaporation of moisture from the fruit, and 
thus for a long time preserves the fruit in the same moist condition 
in which it was packed. Plate IV, figure 2, shows two bricks of figs 
packed October 1, 1913, and opened April 16, 1914. The brick on 
the left was put up in an ordinary carton, and, as will be observed, 
it was dried, sugared, and became infested, while the one on the right, 
which was put into an ordinary carton, but sealed, is in practically 
the same condition as when packed. These two bricks were kept 
under the same conditions; in fact, were in the same box. From the 
foregoing data it is evident that fruit properly packed in sealed cartons 
will be protected from infestation and will remain in a moist condition 
much longer than when packed in an ordinary carton or box. 
OTHER SEALED PACKAGES. 
In an attempt to find a small and attractive package for their fruit 
one packing company in California evolved a round carton with a 
cover that fitted over the end like the cover of a baking powder can, 
as shown in Plate IV, figure 1. A printed label pasted around the 
edge of the carton formed in experiment a very effective seal. This 
carton appears to be satisfactory for small packages, but the shape is 
such that more room is required for shipment than is the case with 
the square package, and it is not as practical for the larger sizes. 
