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BULLETIN 688, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
During the first half of the strawberry shipping season in 1917 
the weather conditions were favorable, but during the last half there 
were frequent rains and the nights were hot. Practically all of the 
shipments of strawberries that were made during the first half of the 
1917 strawberry shipping season were received in very good condi- 
tion, but nearly all of the shipments that were made during the last 
half of the season were received in unsatisfactory condition. The 
same methods of picking and packing the berries were practiced during 
the entire season, so it is evident that the difference in the condition 
of the berries when they were received was due almost entirely to 
weather conditions. 
GENERAL CONSIDER ATIONS. 
An effort was made to ascertain the best shipping varieties of 
strawberries by making a special study of the shipping qualities 
of the different varieties that were mailed to the bureau, but because 
of the differences in berries of the same variety grown under different 
conditions it was impossible to draw any definite conclusions. Many 
growers had two or more kinds of strawberries in the same field and 
it was often difficult to determine the variety of a berry that was 
grown in these fields. 
A grower who wishes to market strawberries direct to consumers 
should ship varieties the berries of which are naturally firm. Va- 
rieties with large green caps present a good appearance and often are 
preferred to berries which are superior in quality but which do not 
look so attractive. Growers should realize that consumers in buying 
farm produce judge quality largely by appearance, and that berries 
which present an attractive appearance when they reach the con- 
sumer usually will give the best satisfaction. 
Many persons who market strawberries apparently do not realize 
that berries which are to be shipped should not be allowed to become 
as ripe as those which are to be used immediately. Because of 
weather conditions a grower can not always pick his berries at the 
proper time, but if strawberries are to be shipped by parcel post they 
should be entirely free from overripe fruit, as two or three overripe 
berries in each quart will cause considerable damage in such ship- 
ments and also will make the entire lot unattractive upon arrival at 
destination. 
Berries which are water-soaked when they are picked or which have 
grown rapidly after a rain can not be shipped satisfactorily by parcel 
post. During hot weather, parcel-post shipments of strawberries 
usually arrive in poor condition as the berries become soft and crushed 
in transit. In such cases the berries are not attractive and must be 
used at once to prevent spoilage. The successful use of the parcel 
post for shipping strawberries is governed largely by weather con- 
ditions, and difficulty often results because of frequent rains and 
high humidity during the strawberry shipping season. 
