12 BULLETIN 331, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
any considerable time either in the field or warehouse before shipping 
only gives added opportunity for decay to start in bruises and in- 
juries, while the ripening processes also proceed more rapidly under 
these high temperatures and result in quicker decay and deteriora- 
tion. Leaving the fruit in the field for several hours, especially dur- 
ing hot weather, will seriously affect the shipping quality of such 
tender and perishable fruits as cherries. In the handling of cherries 
for shipment it is essential that the fruit be hauled in promptly after 
picking, that it be packed as soon as received at the packing house, 
and immediately cooled, loaded, and shipped. 
SUMMARY OF THE CHERRY INVESTIGATIONS. 
When the, large acreage of recently planted sweet cherries in the 
Willamette Valley comes into bearing, the production will be greatly 
increased. If, therefore, cherries can be successfully shipped and 
disposed of in a fresh state, there would be provided a wider and 
possibly a more profitable outlet for a considerable proportion of 
the cherry crop. 
The shipment of cherries in a fresh state for long distances has 
been more or less unsuccessful, owing to the development of a large 
amount of decay and deterioration in transit and on the market. 
This decay is due to fungi which gain entrance to and attack the 
fruit through mechanical abrasions made in handling, to splitting 
due to rainy weather at harvesting time, or to brown-rot, which 
infects the fruit in the orchard. 
The results of these investigations demonstrate conclusively that 
the losses due to mold fungi gaining entrance through mechanical 
abrasions and injuries can be largely prevented by the exercise of 
proper care in picking, hauling, and packing, and in the careful 
grading out of all injured, stemless, and cracked fruit. 
Precaution should be taken not to bruise the fruit in the hand 
when picking, when transferring it to the picking pail or bucket, or 
when emptying it from the picking receptacle into the field box. 
During the time the fruit is held in the orchard after picking, it 
should be kept in the shade. The wagons for hauling should be 
provided with good springs and the load covered with canvas, in 
order to protect the fruit from the sun and dirt. 
At the time of packing, the fruit should be carefully graded, so as 
to eliminate all stemless and cracked or split fruit. All cracked and 
stemless fruits included in the packing boxes are almost certain to 
decay, either from mold fungi or brown-rot. 
If the fruit is packed in the ordinary 10-pound boxes, the greatest 
care must be exercised in putting in facing layers to prevent the 
bruising, injury, or breaking down of the internal structure of the 
fruit. 
