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BULLETIN 688, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
wish to ship strawberries by parcel post should endeavor to get cus- 
tomers who will take a crate of berries and divide it among their 
neighbors. 
Growers who send strawberries direct to consumers should always 
use clean, new crates and baskets in order that a good appearance 
will be presented. The crates need not be made of heavy material, 
but should be strong enough to carry the berries safely. A crate 
with slatted sides and bottoms made of material which does not split 
easily is the most satisfactory. 
MAILING STRAWBERRIES. 
A crate of strawberries or any other shipment which is sent by mail 
should bear the name and address of the sender, preceded by the 
word "From." This should be written legibly on the cover of the 
crate in the upper left hand corner. The full name and address of 
Fig. 4.— Unsatisfactory packages and methods cf preparing berries for shipment by parcel post, fuch 
packages do not allow ventilation arid also do not comply with the regulations of the Post Office 
Department. 
the person to whom the parcel is sent should be written legibly on the 
cover of the crate or if it is written on a tag, care should be exercised 
to fasten the tag securely to the crate. If the parcel is sent to a city, 
complete street address should be given. The crate should be marked 
"Perishable" so that it will be handled properly in the mail. 
The regulations of the Post Office Department state that straw- 
berries in parcels weighing less than 20 pounds will not be accepted 
for mailing unless they are inclosed in an imier cover and strong outer 
cover of wood, metal, heavy corrugated pasteboard, or other suitable 
material, and wrapped so that nothing can escape from the package. 
As previously stated, the results of the experimental shipments made 
by this bureau prove that berries can not be shipped satisfactorily 
when packed so that they will not receive ventilation. The packages 
and methods of wrapping that are illustrated in figure 4 should be 
avoided in making parcel post shipments. 
If berries are sent in parcels weighing less than 20 pounds and are 
packed in accordance with the regulations of the Post Office Depart- 
