24 iu-li.ktin 1206, r. s. DEPARTMENT oi- AGRICTTLTOItE. 
dice against hampers exists for much the same reason that crates 
are viewed with suspicion in some markets: thai is, in the past poor 
auality, careless packing, and improper Loading hare caused serious 
amage and loss. Hampers are widely used, however, by shippers 
in the northeastern section, and well-graded stock shipped from 
this section in bushel hampers almost invariably tops the market. 
They are popular packages with the trade in nearly all markets and 
are used for shipping many vegetable crops. 
The particular type of hamper which should be used for sweet 
potatoes is shown in Figure 9. It should have not less than 8 staves, 
each of which should be not less than one-eighth of an inch thick and 
20 inches long. It should have four hoops and should hold a volume 
bushel. Hampers of this kind are ordinarily referred to as standard 
32-quart four-hoop hampers. Smaller sizes, which might be mis- 
taken for bushel hampers, should not be used. 
BASKETS. 
The round-stave bushel basket as a container for sweet potatoes 
is a comparatively new package. It is not so widely used in the 
South as the crate or the hamper but seems to be growing in popu- 
larity, especially in the more western of the producing States. It is 
also a popular package in the markets west of the Mississippi River. 
The type of basket generally used is shown in Figure 9. Trie diam- 
eter of the top should be 17 inches and the depth should be not 
less than 10£ inches. It should have 20 staves not less than 2£ 
inches wide and one-eighteenth inch thick and of such length that 
they form the sides and bottom of a basket with a capacity of 32 
quarts dry measure. 
BARRELS. 
Three styles of barrels are used in shipping sweet potatoes, each 
of which must have a capacity of 7,056 cubic inches, 105 quarts 
struck measure, in order to conform to the requirements of the Fed- 
eral standard barrel act. In the northeastern section barrels are the 
most popular containers and all of the three styles are used — stave 
barrels, open-stave barrels, and veneer barrels. In some districts 
in this section veneer and open-stave barrels with burlap covers are 
used in shipping green stock direct from the field. Doubled-headed 
stave barrels, illustrated in Figure 9, are often substituted during 
the winter months. 
In the southern section little use has been made of barrels except in 
a few districts that ship green stock early in the season. Stave and 
open-stave barrels with burlap covers are commonly used. Figure 
10 shows burlap-topped stave barrels loaded on ends, and also 
illustrates how some shippers chop holes in the staves to permit 
ventilation. 
SACKS AND BULK SHIPMENTS. 
The Gulf Coast States are the largest users of sacks as shipping 
containers, and its cities are the principal receivers of sacked snip- 
nients. The 90-pound bag is the most popular size. Sacks furnish 
little protection and the potatoes become bruised and skinned in 
handling for shipment. Decay follows and in a comparatively short 
time disease spreads throughout the entire load. The damage and 
