1734 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



cation of pre-cooling on a commercial 

 scale. It was realized that pre-cooling 

 would not prove a panacea for all of the 

 troubles which the different fruit indus- 

 tries were experiencing in transporting 

 fruits to market. The Importance of 

 careful handling was consistently urged 

 and all efforts were made to emphasize 

 the necessity of handling the various 

 fruits in a manner to insure their sound 

 carrying qualities. The Bureau work has 

 shown that there is a consistent relation 

 between the type of handling given fruits 

 in preparing them for shipment and their 

 behavior during transit and storage. 

 There is practically no way to avoid re- 

 sponsibility for the occurrence of decay 

 and deterioration due to careless 

 handling on the part of the grower or 

 shipper who prepares the fruit for mar- 

 ket. To use pre-cooling as a means to 

 overcome difficulties which ordinarily can 

 be eliminated by packing the fruit in 

 sound condition, is not only poor policy, 

 but is dangerous to the reputation of the 

 product. Pre-cooling does not absolutely 



prevent decay. The reduction of the tem- 

 perature simply arrests the development 

 of mold and therefore the deterioration 

 due to these agencies occurs after the 

 fruit arrives in market. Such fruit will 

 soon gain a reputation of poor shipping 

 qualities. The correctness of this early 

 conclusion regarding the uses of pre- 

 cooling have been emphasized by later 

 work with table grapes. With this class 

 of fruits, the results of three consecutive 

 seasons show that pre-cooling does not 

 effectively replace careful methods of 

 handling. There was in some instances 

 a slight reduction in decay due to inju- 

 ries or to other causes in cars which con- 

 tained pre-cooled fruit, but the benefits 

 from the pre-cooling process without at- 

 tention to careful handling were not suf- 

 ficient to justify the extra trouble and 

 expense. 



In order to emphasize the results from 

 the table grape handling and pre-cooling 

 work, the accompanying tables and 

 charts, giving summaries of the three 

 seasons* work on Tokay grapes from Cal- 

 ifornia are presented: 



Table L Average Percentages of Decay in Shipments of Tokay Grapes from 

 lodi, California, to Jfew York City, Seasons of 1908, 1909, 1910, 



^^^^^ On 2 Days After 4 Days After 



Season of 1908 — Arrival. Arrival. Arrival. 



Packed in ground cork 1.6 4.2 6.6 



Carefully handled in crates 4.2 7.8 16 2 



Commercially handled in crates 9.6 14 7 33 9 



Season of 1909 — 



Packed in redwood sawdust 0.2 0.6 7 



Carefnlly handled in crates 9 2.6 5 1 



Commercially handled in crates 4.4 7.4 is'g 



Season of 1910^ — 



Packed in redwood sawdust. 2.2 3.6 4 2 



Carefully handled in crates 4.0 5 8 9*3 



Commercially handled in crates 6 5 9.6 15^8 



A glance at the figures shows that by being held under open market conditions 



careful handling, aside from pre-cooling, and without refrigeration. The consistent 



the decay in grapes shipped from Califor- effect of careful handling after the fruit 



nia may be held at a minimum. The fig- arrives in market is strikingly shown, 



ures presented comprise the results ob- The importance of having such perishable 



tained from the systematic handling, fruit hold up after it arrives in market 



shipping and inspection of a large num- need hardly be emphasized. Grapes which 



ber of crates of grapes produced under a arrive with as low a percentage of decay 



wide range of conditions. The figures as is shown in the fi[gures for the care- 



^o show the behavior of this fruit after fully handled lots on arrival in New 



agrrival fn market Inspections were York may be reshipped to neighboring 



made on the day of arrival, after holding cities with perfect safety; whereas, the 



two days and after four days; the fruit commercially handled lots deteriorate so 



