TESTING CAPACITY OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONTAINERS 11 



striking off. This may be done by forcing the seed lightly with the 

 striking stick from the top of the heap toward each end until the 

 ends are fairly well filled ; then the basket may be struck off. Ham- 

 pers of a capacity of 24 quarts and greater, when made with the inside 

 top hoop set with its upper edge three-eighths of an inch below the 

 upper end of the staves, will require an additional surplus of 1 quart 

 \more than is shown above. 



DETERMINING EXCESS OR DEFICIENCY OF THE LARGER BASKETS 



If the surplus is 1 pint or 1 quart, the surplus is measured out in 

 the standard pint or quart measure instead of the glass graduate; 

 but the process of determining the correct quantity, running the 

 seed into the basket and striking off, is the same as in the example 

 given above. In measuring the capacity of a bushel basket, for 

 example, if the excess struck off is greater than a quart, this excess 

 seed is poured into the hopper and allowed to run into the quart 

 measure, which is then struck off. The excess from this is placed 

 in the hopper and run into the glass graduate. The reading of the 

 glass graduate will show the amount of deficiency of the basket. 

 Thus, a reading of 10 cubic inches would show the basket to have 

 a capacity of 1 bushel minus 10 cubic inches. 



If the excess resulting from striking off the basket is less than a 

 quart, it is run through the hopper into the standard pint measure, 

 which is then struck off. This excess is then run through the hopper 

 into the glass graduate and the number of cubic inches in the glass 

 graduate is subtracted from 33.6, the number of cubic inches in a 

 pint, to find the excess capacity of the basket. Thus, if the glass 

 graduate contains 20 cubic inches, this amount subtracted from 33.6 

 cubic inches, gives 13.6 cubic inches. The basket therefore has a 

 capacity of 1 bushel plus 13.6 cubic inches. 



Hampers that are made with the inside top hoop set with its upper 

 edge below the upper end of the staves, ordinarily at a distance of 

 three-eighths of an inch, are so made in order that the cover can 

 be placed inside the staves and rest on the inside top hoop. This 

 makes it necessary to determine the capacity of such baskets to the 

 upper edge of the inside top hoop. The method used in such cases 

 by the department is as follows : Find the total capacity of the 

 hamper in the usual way. Determine the average inside top diam- 

 eter of the hamper, and the average distance the inside top hoop is 

 set down, basing these averages on a number of measurements. 

 From these compute the number of cubic inches in the space between 

 the upper edge of the inside top hoop and the upper ends of the 

 staves, using the formula: Diameter squared X 0.7854 X the average 

 depth. Deduct the result from the total capacity of the hamper as 

 determined by the bulk-for-bulk method. The remainder is the 

 capacity to the upper edge of the inside top hoop. 



SPECIAL APPARATUS FOR CLIMAX BASKETS 



It is impossible to make a satisfactory test of Climax baskets with 

 the handles attached. Since they are ordinarily shipped with the 

 handles in separate bundles, samples are received from the manu- 

 facturers without handles. The United States standard container 



