16 BULLETIN 688, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
In some of the shipments there was included a quart of cherries 
which had been picked without the stems. In such cases, although 
there was scarcely any damage to the cherries picked with the stems, 
from 25 to 90 per cent of the cherries picked without the stems were 
damaged. A comparison of cherries shipped with stems and without 
stems is shown in figure 10. 
Cherries from which the stems have been removed begin to decay 
quickly, as the removal of the stem causes a wound in the flesh of the 
fruit, which allows the entrance of fungi, which cause cherries to 
mold or decay. Growers should exercise care, in picking and packing 
Fig. 10. — Cherries shipped with stems. and without stems. The fruit in the basket on the left was picked 
and shipped with the stems and was received in good condition. That in the basket on the right was 
shipped with the stems removed. About 90 per cent of the cherries showed signs of decay where the 
flesh of the fruit had been injured by the removal of the stems. 
cherries so that the skin of the fruit will be unbroken, otherwise they 
will reach the consumer in poor condition. 
Cherries that are to be shipped by parcel post should be picked by 
grasping the stem and not the cherry, and many cherries should not 
be held in the hand at one time, as this will crush or bruise the fruit 
and allow the entrance of fungi, which will cause decay or mold. 
Care should be exercised in emptying the cherries from the vessel in 
which they are picked into the shipping container so as to avoid 
injury to the fruit. 
For shipping cherries by parcel post, a ventilated crate such as is 
recommended for shipping strawberries by parcel post, should be 
used. The shipping weight of cherries is about the same as that of 
