22 BULLETIN 1206, r. s. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
her stamp may be used to mark the grade on the package. Ordi- 
narily the statement merely names the grade, as " U. S. No. 1." 
Proper marking of containers creates a good impression and facilitates 
the handling and sale of a product in receiving markets. 
CONTAINERS. 
In selecting containers for shipping sweet potatoes the principal 
factors to consider are cost, carrying quality, ventilation, appearance, 
and market preferences. The relatively low price at which sweet po- 
tatoes are sold prohibits the general use of very small or very expen- 
sive packages. It is false economy, however, to attempt to reduce 
container cost by accepting poorly constructed containers or by using 
secondhand or homemade packages. Secondhand containers are 
often dirty and damaged, and homemade packages are not only un- 
attractive but are seldom standard in size. The use of containers that 
are poorly constructed, heavy, warped, dirty, or misshapened means 
waste or damage in transit and results in lower prices for the product. 
The buying public has learned to look for a standard procfuct in a 
standard package, and the quality of the product is often judged by 
the outside appearance of the container. New containers should be 
purchased in car lots from reliable manufacturers, and should be 
standard in both size and construction. Too many sizes, with varia- 
tions barely distinguishable at a glance, are deceptive and lead to mis- 
understandings. 
Bushel packages having a fixed capacity in terms of dry measure are 
coming into general use in the Southern States. It is neither feasible 
nor desirable to attempt to standardize a sweet-potato container on 
the basis of a weight bushel, and efforts to do so in several producing 
States have resulted only in confusion. Not only does the legal 
weight of a bushel of sweet potatoes vary in the different States from 
46 to 60 pounds, but there is a difference in the weight of green and 
cured stock. 
Another factor that has contributed to the lack of uniformity in 
shipping containers has been the desire to develop a package suitable 
for all purposes; that is, field handling, storing, curing, loading, and 
merchandising. None of the packages tried have proven to be ideal 
for all purposes and all markets. Although some shippers state that 
it would be too expensive to use different containers for storing and 
shipping, there are other shippers who prefer to use lug boxes in the 
field and storage house and pack for shipment in new containers. 
Until a decided improvement occurs in field handling and storage- 
house practices, it is doubtful if sufficient economy results from the 
use of an all-purpose package to offset the advantages gained in pack- 
ing for shipment in new standard containers. 
MARKET PREFERENCES. 
Use of containers that are popular with the fruit and vegetable 
trade facilitates the sale of a procfuct on the markets. If the trade is 
accustomed to handling sweet potatoes in a container of a certain type 
and size, a different package that has no particularly advantageous 
features is difficult to introduce. Table 1 indicates the market pref- 
erences in the several sections of the country. According to reports 
from 76 representative dealers in the East, the barrel is the most popu- 
lar container, the hamper a close second, the bushel crate third, the 
bushel basket fourth, and the 5-peck crate fifth. 
