9 8 
crates to illustrate the different possible packages. This crate 
(indicating) holds approximately twenty-four avocados. There 
is a smaller crate which we have used which holds a dozen. It is 
exactly the same as half of this. This crate is more useful in 
sending smaller shipments that are going for private orders. In 
this crate you will see that the fruits are only one tier deep. All 
fruit should be wrapped with rather thin and yei strong paper. 
They should be placed so as to pack snugly. If you will recall 
the shape of the average avocado you will notice that it can be 
adjusted to a box of this size, even though it be a little smaller in 
diameter or a little larger. The adjustment can be done by means 
of tilting. If the avocado is long, you can place it like that (indi- 
cating) ; if it is wide, it can be tilted a little lower and the next 
one can be put this way (indicating) ; if this is point up, the next 
one can be put point down, and you can tilt it just as much as is 
necessary, the only requisite cf the box being that it must he high 
enough to receive the avocado if it is lying directly on its side. 
These boxes we found were not quite large enough to receive the 
largest avocados. I would say, do not put any paper between the 
fruits. I found in San Francisco that many of our shippers from 
here were sending the fruits up there in orange crates and larger 
boxes than that and packing paper, wads of paper, :n between the 
fruits. Doubtless the idea was to keep the fruit from bruising, — 
but what is the result? You have a solid mass of fruit and paper 
packed closely together ; the circulation of air is rendered' impos- 
sible, and it is about like trying to refrigerate a w«id of cotton — 
you can't get the refrigeration into it ; rather you can't get the 
heat out of it, you do not get the circulation of the air, the cold 
air, about the fruit. And there is no need of t 1 i c paper if the 
fruit is carefully placed so as to be snug. Do not put in any 
leaves. The shipping must be in refrigeration only. When we 
first commenced shipping, people told us that we could not ship in 
refrigeration without the fruit all turning black. That depends 
upon the refrigeration. But ventilation is out o +: the question, 
ventilation without refrigeration is out of the question — the fruit 
will all ariive in the market in a condition too soft to be received 
by the wholesale trade. A great deal of it may arrive there in 
suitable condition for eating, but the trade will not take it in that 
form. The avocado will endure refrigeration for a term of three 
weeks anyway. The exact time we have not determined, but we 
have determined that it will not endure refrigeration as long as 
most temperate zone fruits. The first deteriorating effect of re- 
frigeration is observable in the darkening of the flesh close to the 
seed, and then the flesh begins to turn rancid ; bin it is perfectly 
safe to send them as far as San Francisco or as far as New York, 
so far as the time element is concerned. The temperatures that 
are best adapted for the refrigeration of avocados has not been 
determined. We have carried them as low as between 40 and 45 
and as high as 50. Fifty degrees I am satisfied is too high. Our 
