188 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



It will be noticed that the decay and injuries are both high. These 

 crates were not selected with any view to obtaining both carefully and 

 carelessly handled packs. There were perhaps more from packers 

 handling rather carelessly. The figures show strikingly the relation 

 between injuries and decay. 



If the percentages of decay and injuries are added together, the 

 figures show from 22 per cent to 34 per cent of the fruit was injured 

 in handling and rendered susceptible to decay. The first day the crates 

 were taken from the car 9.02 per cent was found decayed and in addi- 

 tion 12.82 per cent was injured. At the inspection on the third, fifth 

 and seventh days after taking from the car the decay increased at a 

 tremendous rate, and there was a corresponding decrease in the per- 

 centages of injured berries not decayed. This has a very important 

 bearing on the holding qualities of the grapes after arrival, and empha- 

 sizes strongly the necessity for preserving the natural resisting proper- 

 ties of the fruit. 



It naturally follows that it will cost more to handle carefully — just 

 how much more it is impossible to say, but it will vary with the quality 

 of fruit and the season. But will it pay? many will ask. During a 

 season of low prices, at first sight it may seem unreasonable to advocate 

 the spending of more money on packing. That careful handling will 

 pay, and pay well, has been demonstrated again and again in the 

 orange business. We have seen a number of associations and indi- 

 viduals rise from among the lowest priced class to the highest priced 

 class as soon as more care was used in handling, thereby reducing the 

 susceptibility of their fruit to rot. By increasing the cost of handling 

 a few T cents per box. thus insuring sound fruit, has in some oases 

 increased the average returns from 25 to 50 cents per box. leaving out 

 of consideration the value of the reputation thus gained. The question 

 now in the citrus business is not how cheaply can the work be done 

 but how well. It has been recognized that cheapness places a premium 

 on careless work. What is true of citrus fruits will be found equally 

 true with grapes. And if the grape business ever gets to the point 

 where the difference of a few cents per crate spent in good handling 

 becomes the margin of profit or loss, it will cease to be a safe business 

 investment. 



The best answer to the question of whether careful handling is 

 practicable or profitable is shown by the fact that a number of groAvers 

 are handling carefully and are getting good results. When the market- 

 ing problems have been systematized, much better results will follow. 



Table 4 shows the percentage of decay in individual shipments, 

 arranged in the order of the percentages of decay shown on arrival in 

 the commercial packs. These are the individual shipments from which 

 the general averages have been made. The range is very great, run- 

 ning from less than 1 per cent to over 13 per cent. One shipment went 

 to 24.83 per cent, but this was packed after a rain and most of this loss 

 was due to soft decay, starting on sound berries. The figures shown 

 in No. 6, 3.75 per cent, were obtained from a shipment made from the 

 same place previous to the rains. All the other high percentages were 

 obtained from shipments made before the rain. The percentages of 

 decay in the carefully handled lots of the same fruit placed alongside 

 show that even in the case of the heavy decay found after the rain the 

 carefully handled lot showed less than 2 per cent, or far below the com- 



