32 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 
much easier of accomplishment. The 6-basket carrier used in pick- 
ing should be kept in the shade, and as soon as the cups are filled or 
the picking completed the berries should be taken to the sorting shed. 
No sorting over of berries in any individual cup should be at- 
tempted or permitted, owing to injuries resulting from rehandling. 
Sorting or grading at the shed must necessarily be confined to grad- 
ing by cups, cups showing overripe or mashed berries to be placed in 
canning crates or in crates for local shipment only. Cups containing 
only sound, firm berries should be placed in shipping crates. 
The berries should be hauled to the receiving station on wagons 
provided with good springs and they should be covered to protect 
them from both dust and the sun. 
In handling to and from the wagon and to the car the utmost care 
consistent with commercial requirements and conditions should be 
exercised to keep the crates in a horizontal position. Tipping crates 
on end may result in much decay, as the berries are bruised in roll- 
ing around in the cups and oftentimes mashed against the cover. 
The berries should be brought in as promptly as possible after 
picking and promptly placed in a refrigerator car or cooling room, 
if one is available. Delay, especially in warm weather, in handling 
the berries, either in the field or at the receiving station, may shorten 
the life of the fruit and is commonly the cause of serious losses. 
Every precaution should be taken to have the cars iced 12 to 24 
hours prior to loading and to keep the car doors open only when 
actually loading. 
The cars should be so loaded as to allow free circulation of air 
between tiers of crates, in order to facilitate quick, effective cooling. 
The crates themselves should be, as far as is consistent with the 
strength of the packages, the cost of manufacture, etc., partially 
slatted on the bottom and sides to permit free circulation of the air 
and quicker refrigeration. 
Strips or racks on the floor would aid very materially in bringing 
about the quicker and more uniform cooling of the load. The cireu- 
lation would be much freer and more rapid, lessening the temperature 
inequalities shown between the top and bottom tiers and various 
parts of the load. 
The rather common practice of putting in from 100 to 200 pounds 
of salt at the first re-icing after loading and at each re-icing in 
transit is on the whole beneficial. If the salting of the ice, however, 
is continued beyond 40 hours, or thereabouts, it may result in serious 
damage by freezing the fruit in the bottom crates next to the bunkers. 
Where the fruit has been precooled the addition of salt during 
the first two or three re-icings will no doubt be beneficial, but salt 
should be used more sparingly than where used with nonprecooled 
ears. If the raspberries are to be precooled, there should be the 
least possible delay between picking and precooling. 
The precooling should be thorough, whether done before or after 
loading. Half or partial precooling is not justified. In order to 
do the precooling promptly and to allow sufficient time in which to 
do it thoroughly, the operations of picking, of hauling to the receiv- 
ing station, of loading, of moving cars, and of preecooling must be 
made to conform, as far as possible, to train schedules. Precooling 
can not be depended upon to counteract the bad effects of rough and 
careless handling methods. O 
