2 BULLETIN 477, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
the end of the season and is admittedly somewhat incomplete. It 
includes practically no shipments of less than full carloads and in 
many cases the exact records of the business of certain stations 
could not be obtained. Only a few carriers of importance in the 
interstate shipment of strawberries have failed to make any report 
of their business. The figures on pages 27 to 32 are therefore fairly 
comparable with those for 1914, published in Department Bulletin 237. 1 
An exception should perhaps be made in the cases of California 
and Washington, for later information leads to the belief that a number 
of the cars reported shipped from stations in these States in 1914 were 
probably less than carload shipments. Furthermore, the movement 
from one important section of California was largely by boat in 1915 
and no record has been obtained, whereas this area furnished a large 
part of t ne movement as reported by the railroads in 1914. The 
berries handled by electric lines which do not move in standard car- 
loads also constitute an element of uncertainty. 
METHODS EMPLOYED IN DEALING WITH STRAWBERRY PICKERS. 
As the shipment of strawberries over long distances has developed 
to the proportions of an important specialized industry, the problems 
of marketing have grown in number and complexity. Satisfactory 
quality on arrival in the distant market is impossible without a well- 
organized picking force of sufficient size to gather daily the berries 
which are ready for shipment. Irregularity in picking is almost sure 
to result in the shipment of many overripe berries, which cause serious 
deterioration before they reach the consumer. 
The demand for pickers is so great in some sections that large 
numbers of pickers are brought in for the season. A few rainy days 
after the height of the picking is reached at a specific point may cause 
a migration of pickers to points farther north, thus curtailing the 
total output of a large shipping area. Serious losses may be suffered 
on individual crops even when the general supply of pickers is 
adequate. 
A study of the whole picking problem is therefore an important 
part of the analysis of the marketing situation in any section, and 
any suggestions based upon successful experience in dealing with 
pickers should be of value. 
The market quality of the berries depends very largely upon the 
knowledge and integrity of the pickers, who are, in most cases, paid 
for the quantity of berries which they deliver 'to the packing shed. 
1 Sea Sherman, W. A., Walker, H. F., and Schleussner, O. W. Strawberry Supply and Distribution in 
1914. U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin 237. 
