18 BULLETIN 569, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
apron systems 20 to 25 bushels per sorter per hour have been about 
the practical limit for obtaining uniformly good results. Packers 
heretofore have given this point far too little consideration. It has 
been observed in some factories that the tomatoes were passing 
through at the rate of 200 bushels per sorter per hour. It is quite 
evident that little or no benefit can result from the operation of a 
sorting table under such conditions. 
In order to impress upon producers the importance of handling the 
crop properly, some packers have put into operation a “ loss-ofF i 
system by which they pay for the tomatoes on the basis of the sound 
tomatoes, allowing the presence of only a nominal proportion of 
spotted ones. 
EFFICIENCY OF SORTING. 
Practically all plants have some kind of sorting system, but ex- 
periments and observations in different plants show a wide variation 
of LT Ll eal atte oil [aha RS a a 
Be ae OPE de Wa a 
eS NS Il SN a de Va A 
Fié. {she sorts chart. a cross or dot ee the result of an indi- 
vidual test and indicates the percentage of rot found. 
in the efficiency of such systems. In some plants the sorting is done 
effectively, while in others the work is performed so poor ly as to be 
practically valueless. 
In order to obtain a numerical expression of the efficiency of sort- 
ing, the following method was employed: ‘To secure the samples 
small portions of the stock were taken from the stream at intervals 
of about 15 seconds until a total sample of 20 to 40 pounds had 
been secured. The tomatoes in the composite sample were then 
examined critically for decayed portions. The objectionable parts 
were cut out, weighed, and their percentage calculated. Tests 
made under a variety of conditions in different factories showed 
that with proper equipment and control the percentage of decay 
can be maintained at 1 per cent or less. For purposes of com- 
