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Issued, July 8, 1915.
Revised, July 7, 1924.

Washington, D. C.

FACTORS GOVERNING THE SUCCESSFUL SHIP-
MENT OF RED RASPBERRIES FROM
THE PUYALLUP VALLEY.’

By H. J. RAMsrEy, Pomologist in Charge of Fruit-Handling and Storage Investi-
gations, Office of Horticultural and Pomological Investigations, Bureau of
Plant Industry.

CONTENTS.
Page. Page
LintEROGUGELOM SS SSeS es i || Bbloves IAbyone joreololeyen 18
The berry industry of the Puyallup Handling, an economic problem___~_— 18
WADI Cy ies Cee ne caus mee SS ee PS 2 | Careful-handling experiments______ 18
Methods of growing red raspberries_ 4 Effect of delay in cooling on keep-
Handling and shipping red raspber- TNC Cyan ee ee ee 23
Tal amet eogincNeer eye a th ire nod oe Sil 8 | Precooling experiments es Acai AT poly Seine 24
Causes of decay of fruit in transit__ 13 | Decay in top and bottom crates____ 28
HTequency, Of picking = 22292 = 16 | Temperature conditions in an iced
Relation of rainfall to handling ___ 17 SHSVA ORONO ROIE GRE sae ee 29
Relation of methods of growing to The application of precooling______ 30
Keepin ou quality e225 Ses Baa CS Sum apye ee ae ee 31

INTRODUCTION.

Berry growing is the leading horticultural industry in the Puyal-
lup Valley, Wash., and is ‘apidly increasing in importance in other
sections of that State and in Oregon and California. The growth
of this industry, as well as the prosperity of the community, in the
Puyallup Valley especially, is dependent largely on the extension
and broadening of the marketing zone for fresh berries. The carry-
ing and keeping qualities of the berries preduced and offered for
shipment determine the territory and markets that can be profitably
reached. Under the ordinary and usual methods of handling and
refrigeration 2,000 miles has been the limit of successful shipment
for red raspberries, and oftentimes considerable deterioration and
decay occurred at this or lesser distances.

The markets for fresh berries could not profitably be extended
without better keeping or carrying qualities. Many leading growers
have felt that possibly changes in methods of handling and refri ig-

1B. B. Pratt and A. W. McKay, formerly Pomologists in Fruit-Handling and Storage
Investigations; S. J. Dennis, Refrigeration Technologist; G. H. Crawford, formerly As-
sistant Refrigeration Technologist ; “and G. W. Dewey and J. F. Fernald, of the Oflice of
Horticultural and Pomological “Investigations, were actively associated in the prosecution
of these investigations.

83578°—24——]

9 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

eration would materially improve the carrying quality. In response
to urgent requests from the industry, investigations of the relation
of methods of handling and refrigeration to decay and deterioration
of Puyallup Valley red raspberries in transit to distant markets
were included in the fruit-handling and storage investigations of the
Bureau of Plant Industry. Experimental work was carried on dur-
ing the shipping seasons of 1911 and 1912, and to a limited extent
during the season of 1913. Red raspberries were used in -experi-
mental work almost exclusively, although occasional lots of logan-
berries and strawberries were included during the season of 1911.

Fic. 1.—A red-raspberry yard at Puyallup, Wash.

THE BERRY INDUSTRY OF THE PUYALLUP VALLEY.

The methods of handling red raspberries are so closely associated
with those of growing and of training that it seems desirable to give
a brief description of the berry industry in the Puyallup Valley,
Wash.

The berry industry in this valley is centralized largely around
Puyallup and Sumner, in Pierce County, in the Puget Sound country
of western Washington. The region is one of abundant rainfall,
relatively cool summers, and mild winters, and originally was coy-
ered with forests of gigantic evergreens. The rains are most abun-
dant during the winter months but are frequent during June, July,
August, and September, and are one of the principal factors that
determine the season’s fresh-fruit shipments. If rains are continuous
or frequent, with little or no sunshine, the berries do not mature
properly, lack firmness, are soft and full of moisture, and conse-
quently are poor shipping fruits. During 1911 practically all of the
red raspberries produced in the valley could have been shipped fresh,

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. 3

as there were few rains and much dry, sunshiny weather. In 1912
about half the crop was shipped fresh, the remainder, being too soft
for shipment in a fresh state, being put up in barrels and cans.

During the season of 1912 the Puyallup and Sumner Fruit Asso-
ciation, then handling approximately 95 per cent of the berry crop
of the valley, shipped 270 cars of fresh berries of 545 crates each.
Of these 123 were red raspberries, 72 blackberries, 35 strawberries,
and the remainder currants, loganberries, gooseberries, etc. The
cannery receipted for 1,251,630 pounds of red raspberries, 3,424,874
pounds of blackberries, and 318,000 pounds of strawberries.

The two principal commercial varieties of red raspberries are the
Cuthbert and the Antwerp. Of the blackberries the Evergreen,
Snyder, Kittatinny, Lawton, and Himalaya are the leading varieties.

Fic. 2.—Red raspberries at Sumner, Wash., planted in rows, showing the separation of
new canes from those in bearing, in order to facilitate picking.

The Cumberland black raspberry, the loganberry (a hybrid between
the Antwerp red raspberry and the Aughinbaugh blackberry), and
the Phenomenal (similar to loganberry) are grown to some extent.

The recent remarkable growth and development of the industry
in this valley is due largely to the formation and successful opera-
tion of an effective cooperative marketing association. This asso-
ciation some years ago purchased a cannery, which is now operated
as part of the cooperative enterprise. This plant has been greatly
enlarged and improved, and more recently a second one has been
built. These cooperatively owned canneries serve as the balance
wheel of the berry-growing industry in the section. Without them
the growers would be in a very precarious state, as through these
canneries they are able to dispose of all berries that for various

4 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

reasons can not be shipped fresh at a profit. During periods follow-
ing protracted rains, when berries are too soft for shipping, they
are utilized for canning purposes and are not a total loss to the
grower, as would necessarily be the case without canning facili-
ties. The association has over 1,500 members, with individual
plantings ranging from a few plants on a city lot to 15 or more
acres.

The average berry yard consists of a few acres planted to different
varieties of berries, usually half or more planted to red raspberries.

METHODS OF GROWING RED RASPBERRIES.

There are almost as many different ideas of how the red raspberry
should be planted, pruned, and trained as there are growers. The
most common practice in the Puyallup-Sumner district at the pres-

I'ic, 3.—Red raspberries at Puyallup, Wash., grown in continuous rows in accordance
with the upright system of training.

ent time is to plant in rows from 6 to 8 feet apart, either in con-
tinuous rows with the plants a few inches apart or in hills 1$ to 3
feet apart in the row. (Figs. 1 and 2.) The hills in each row
may have three to nine canes, depending upon the strength of both
soil and cane and the grower’s preference. The hill system, with
plants in hills about 6 feet apart each way, is occasionally used,
but is becoming obsolete.

Where grown in rows, the methods of training and pruning may
be roughly classed under four systems, as follows: (1) Upright,
(2) weaving, (3) divided row, (4) Streblow. While there are many
others, those mentioned or modifications of them are more often
employed and have been found to be most practicable and profitable.

In the upright system, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the old
canes are trained between the wires which serve to hold them to-

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. ; 5

gether and in place. “The new canes come up among the old ones or
else grow on the ground. The posts which support the wires are
about 7 feet in length, set 5 feet above ground at from 30 to 50 feet
apart. In this and other systems the wires may be attached directly
to the posts or to crosspieces or arms, the wires being all the way
from 10 to 16 inches apart. Either one or two sets of wires are used,
the top wires being placed from 4 to 5 feet from the ground, the
second set from 24 to 30 inches.

The weaving system may be used with either one or two sets of
wires. Where two are used the old canes are wound three or more
at a time along one of the top wires, the lower wires being used
to hold the new canes in place and out of the way of the old ones.

Fig. 4.—Red raspberries at Sumner, Wash., trained in accordance with the upright sys-
tem. <All surplus canes have been cut out of the hills and all remaining canes
topped.

There are a great many variations in this system, from those having
only one wire along which to wind the old canes and with none to
hold the new ones off the ground and free from the old canes to
another method where the canes are not woven in as above described
but are arched over the top wire two or three at a time and tied to
the lower wire, the lower wires in such cases being about 48 inches
and the top wire 60 inches from the ground. Several variations in
the weaving system are shown in Figure 5, where the canes are all
woven together three or more at a time along the top wire, in Figure
6, where they are woven in a similar way except that they are ‘tied
again to the adjoining canes, and in Figure 7, where they are wound
over a top wire and tied to a lower wire,

6 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

In the divided-row system the wires are arranged essentially the
same as in the upright continuous-row system, with the top wires
at 5 feet from the ground. The old canes are separated and half of
them tied or otherwise held in place along one wire and the re-
maining half tied to the other wire, leaving space between the wires
for the new canes. ‘This system, in a way, has several advantages,
in that topping can be practiced and the new canes can be held
separate and free from the old canes, permitting easier picking and
harvesting. One good way of holding the canes in place is to bring
the old canes outside the top wire and then to have loose wires
outside of these which can be lifted into slots just above and slightly
out from the original wires in such a way that the canes are held
between the two. This system is illustrated in Figure 8.

In the Streblow system the rows are usually about 8 feet apart,
running north and south, with hills 30 inches apart in the row. The

Fic. 5.—Red raspberries trained in accordance with one of several systems in use at
Sumner, Wash. Topping is not practiced in this system.

posts are set solidly just to the east of the row. <A wire is fastened
to the post about 40 inches from the ground on the side toward the
row and another wire about 52 inches from the ground on the east
side of the post. The old canes are securely tied to the lower wire
at 3 or 4 inches apart. The upper wire supports the weight of the
canes when loaded with foliage and berries. The canes are topped
at about 6 feet. A second wire, about 40 inches from the ground,
is strung on crosspieces or on the posts on the west side of the row
and serves to hold the new canes free from the old ones and off the
ground. This system has some advantages, in that the canes can be
cared for very easily after they are once tied in place and the bear-
ing canes are all on one side of the row, where picking is easy and
unhampered by new canes. The canes also lean toward the east,
which is considered desirable, and at picking times they shade both
fruit and pickers. This system, however, requires more work in
training. ‘The rows must be farther apart, and some claim that the

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. 7

yield is somewhat reduced because of the smaller number of canes per
acre. The heavy weight on one side of the post makes it necessary
to set the posts deeper or closer together than in other systems.
Where hop poles or rails are available at a low cost they are often
used in place of the upper wires, the rails bearing the weight of the
loaded canes thus providing a larger surface and reducing the danger
of having the canes break at this point. The Streblow system is
partially “illustrated in Figure 9. In this case rails are used instead
of wires.

There is also considerable diversity of practice as to topping and
cutting out old canes. Some growers cut out the extra canes in the

Fic. 6.—Red raspberries trained in accordance with a modification of the weaving sys-
tem, at Sumner, Wash. ‘The canes, after being bent over and twisted around the
top wires, are tied to adjoining canes helow the wires

fall; others leave them until spring. In most cases the canes that are
left are topped to about 5 or 6 feet in the spring, in the systems of
training that permit topping. In some of the weaving systems top-
ping is “obviously out of the question. The soil is given rather shal-
low cultivation during the growing season and the fields are kept
clean of weeds until picking time. Nearly all growers fertilize rather
heavily, using manures of various kinds in addition to moderately
heavy applications of potash. There is a general belief that potash
makes the berries firmer and betters the keeping and shipping
quality, and therefore this one element is seldom omitted.

Before the harvesting season commences the growers usually go
through the patches and cut out a considerable portion of the new

8 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

canes and separate the bearing canes from the new ones in order to
facilitate picking. The harvesting of berries is facilitated also to
a considerable extent by various methods of training, some of which
have already been described. Proper training methods, the cutting
out of surplus new canes, and the separation ‘of the remaining ones
from the bearing canes prior to harvesting greatly lessen the lability
to rough handling and injury in picking.

HANDLING AND SHIPPING RED RASPBERRIES.

The first shipments of red raspberries are usually made about the
middle of June, but car-lot shipments are seldom made until the lat-
ter part of June or the first of July. The earlier berries are shipped

|
B\e

“Fae
a Tere

Fic. 7.—Red raspberries trained in accordance with a modification of the weaving sys-
tem, in which topping can be practiced if found to be desirable. The canes are
looped over the top wire and tied to one lower down.

by express, either in crates to near-by cities or in pony refrigerators
to Spokane and Montana markets. Later in the season, when car-
load shipments commence, usually only such markets as Spokane and
others within about the same distance are supplied with raspberries
in these pony refrigerators. The berries shipped in this way during
the car-lot season are, as a rule, too ripe to stand long- distance

shipment.
PICKING.

The picking is done by men, women, and children, most of whom
come from neighboring towns and cities and camp during the har-

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. 9

vesting season in the various yards where they are doing the picking.
They usually remain until the end of the blackberry season, some-
time in September. Some of these people return from year to year,
but most of them have had no previous experience. This results in
some very poor work as regards both sorting and handling. Each
picker is provided with a 2-cup carrier attached to the waist and
when the cups are full they are transferred to 6-cup field carriers
provided with handles. (Figs. 10 and 11.) These 6-basket carriers
when filled are carried to the receiving sheds, where the berries are
sorted and crated. (Fig. 12.) Usually each picker is assigned to
a particular row or rows and is held responsible for the harvesting
of a certain portion of the row or yard. A foreman or the grower

lic. 8.—Red raspberries trained in accordance with the divided-row system, the canes
being tied to wires on either side or held in place by an outside wire. Topping may
be practiced, if desired.

supervises the picking, instructing each picker as to the kind of ber-
ries to be picked and how to pick them. At the receiving shed the
grower or receiver does more or less sorting by cups, placing the
cups containing what are considered shipping berries into shipping
crates and cups with berries too ripe for shipping into cannery crates.
The shipping quality is determined by the appearance of the fruit in
the box as regards its degree of ripeness and firmness, the fruit never
being emptied out for resorting or grading. The final determination
of the shipping fruit is, however, made by the association inspectors,
and it is not unusual for berries put in shipping crates by the grower
to be rejected and sent to the cannery when inspected at the associa-
tion receiving station.

83578 °—24 2

10 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
HAULING AND DELIVERY.

The berries are nearly all delivered at Puyallup or Sumner, a
small proportion at North Puyallup, Auburn, and other stations.
They are seldom hauled more than 6 miles, and the greater portion
less than 3. The wagons used for hauling are of various sizes and
types, depending on the quantity of berries and the distance they
have to be transported. Large drays provided with good springs
are oftentimes used to haul berries from considerable distances for
several growers. Usually each grower hauls his own berries, and
in nearly every case Wagons or carts with springs are used for haul-
ing. Many of the growers living within the city limits or close by
take their berries to the canning or receiving stations in 2-wheeled
hand carts. Figures 13 and 14 give a good idea of the different

Fig. 9.—A yard of red raspberries trained in accordance with the Streblow system,
using rails instead of wires for holding the bearing canes.

types of wagons and carts used for hauling berries to the cannery
and receiving stations. Deliveries are made oftentimes three or more
times a day from near-by growers, but usually only once by the more
distant ones. Every grower aims to bring all the berries picked dur-
ing the day to the receiving stations in time to be loaded into the
refrigerator cars for shipment on the evening of that day. Each
grower is known by a number, which must be stamped on all shipping
crates brought in, and all berries delivered are credited to his num-
ber, shipped berries by number of crates and canning berries by
weight.

These practices are expensive of time and equipment and suggest
the need of a cooperative plan for hauling the product. It seems
practicable to devise an effective plan which would conserve the time
of the grower as well as simplify the work at the receiving station,

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. 11
GRADING.

Berries intended for shipment are inspected before they are loaded
into the car and are separated into various grades, the grading being
based on their degree of maturity, firmness, and the care shown in
picking. (See fig. 15.) The berries run fairly uniform throughout
the crate, and the inspection is made by hfting up one end of the
cover and deciding on the general condition of the berries as they
appear in the top layer. There are four established grades, as fol-
lows:

Fic. 10.—Picking red raspberries at Sumner, Wash. Note the rank growth of new
canes.

D.—Stock that can be shipped 2,000 miles or more.

M.—Stock of such character and maturity that it can be safely shipped more
than 1,000 miles.

H.—Stock which because of faulty handling or ovyerripeness must be con-
sumed in 24 hours. Such stock is used for local express shipments in pony ~
refrigerators to near-by points.

A.—Stock too soft and ripe for anything but canning.

SHIPPING AND MARKETING.

Red raspberries and other berries from this section are shipped by
express in crates to near-by cities, like Seattle, in pony refriger-
ators to markets as far distant as Spokane, Wash., and Missoula,
Mont., and in full carload lots in express refrigerator cars as far east
as Minneapolis, Minn. Before and after the car-lot season, pony
refrigerators are shipped to a greater number of markets and to
oreater distances than during the car-lot season. When berries are
shipped in crates, not in carload lots, no refrigeration is possible in

ig BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

transit, and this necessarily limits the distance to which they can
be shipped in good condition. The crate ordinarily used holds 24
cups in 2 layers of 12 baskets each, and has a middle partition board.
The removable veneer used to separate the top and bottom tiers is
fitted into notches cut into the end and middle partition. The pony
refrigerator used in this section holds 54 cups in 6 layers of 9 cups
each. (See fig. 16.) An ice pan, with drainage, is placed in the
top of the carrier, the refrigeration provided being i in proportion to
the capacity and ‘the quantity of ice in the ice pan. This method
of shipment is utilized throughout the season to supply markets at
a considerable distance that can not handle full carload lots and that
can not be reached without the utilization of refrigeration.

ic, 11.—Picking red raspberries at Sumner, Wash., in a yard in which the new canes
have been gathered together in the middle of the row in order to facilitate picking
operations.

During the main part of the season most of the berries are shipped
in express refrigerator cars. These cars are attached to regular fast
passenger trains and go through on passenger schedules. The cars
are fully iced at least 12 hours before loading, and after they are
fully loaded from 100 to 200 pounds of salt is mixed in with the
crushed or broken ice in each bunker. At icing stations the cars are
re-iced and may also be resalted. While salt melts the ice more

rapidly, it supplies more refrigeration than would be the case if no
salt was used. Every effort is made to get all of the fruit of a day’s
picking into refrigerator cars as soon as possible and to start the
cars on the same ‘day or evening that the berries are picked and
loaded. The standard load for all except Canadian points is 545
crates, loaded 8 and 9 high in rows of 5 across the car. The load is
well cleated and braced in the center, so that there is seldom any
shifting or breakage in transit. The carload shipments are sent to

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. Bay

Butte, Helena, and Billings, Mont., and to points in North Dakota
and South Dakota, such as Fargo, Grand Forks, and Aberdeen, as
far east as Lincoln, Nebr., and Minneapolis, } Minn., and to such
Canadian points as Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and
Moosejaw.

Nearly all of the berries in the valley are marketed through the
association, there being very few growers who are not members.
All of the berries that are not shipped are turned in to the cannery,
the association paying a uniform price to its members, determined
after the running expenses and the selling prices are known. During

Fic. 12.—A receiving shed at Puyallup, Wash., where berries are sorted by cups into
shipping and canning crates.

the season of 1912 a considerable quantity of the fruit turned in to
the cannery was put up in barrels. Practically no berries are evapo-
rated in this section.

CAUSES OF DECAY OF FRUIT IN TRANSIT.

The most common causes of decay of berries in transit and after
arrival on the market are mold fungi, principally gray or black
mold (Botrytis) and blue mold (Penicillium). Neither of these two
fungi seriously attacks firm, sound berries, but they quickly attack
and cause the decay of berries injured or bruised in handling or soft
from being overripe. Investigations with less tender and perish-
able fruits, such as oranges, apples, pineapples, lemons, and the like,
have demonstrated that there is a direct relationship existing between
the type of handling given the fruit and its behavior after picking,
in transit, and after arrival on the market. The results of the work

14 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

with berries are fully consistent with the general principles under-
lying the relationship between methods of preparing the fruits for
shipment and their behavior in transit and on the market. The meth-
ods of handling red raspberries in picking and in shipping determine
the condition of berries on the market fully as much as does
handling in the shipment of oranges.2 In the handling of red
raspberries three factors primarily determine the amount of decay
and the condition of the berries on the market: (1) Injuries in
handling; (2) sorting as to ripeness; (3) promptness and rapidity of

cooling.
INJURIES IN HANDLING.

The most common injuries result from carelessness in picking the
berries from the vines, by breaking or bruising them when pulling

WieG. 15.—Growers waiting in line at Puyallup, Wash., to deliver the day’s pick of red
raspberries at the cannery or receiving station. Note the various types of wagons
and carts in use,

them away from the receptacle and by mashing them in the hand
before placing them in the cups. In inspections on the market it
is a very common thing to find cups containing masses of decay
easily traceable to berries mashed in the hand of the picker before

being placed in the cup. Serious injury and decay also result from
attempts by pickers to sort over filled or partly filled cups.

The injury and decay that result from breaking the berry or
bruising it when pulling it away from the receptacle 1 is probably the
most common and serious. This injury can be avoided almost en-
tirely by using three fingers instead of two and by pulling the berries
off straight rather than sidewise.

*Stubenrauch, A. V., Ramsey, H. J., and others. Factors governing the successful
shipment of oranges from Florida. U. 8. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 63,
50 p., 1914.

Powell, G. Harold, and others. The decay of oranges while in transit from California.
Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin No. 123, 79 p., 1908.

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. 15

Three fingers distribute the pressure more evenly and greatly lessen
liability from injury, provided no more pressure is applied than is
necessary to separate the berries from the receptacle.

SORTING AS TO OVERRIPENESS.

One of the most common causes of decay and deterioration is
carelessness in sorting berries into their proper grades at the time
of picking. Berries ‘intended for long-distance shipment must be
at as nearly the same stage of development as possible, with none
overripe or soft at the time of picking. Every grower knows when
a berry is in ideal condition for long-distance shipment and strives
to have his pickers exercise precaution and care to place only
sound, uninjured, unbroken, properly matured berries in the cups.

Fig. 14.—Delivering red raspberries at the receiving station at Puyallup, Wash., types
ot vehicles ranging from carts to large drays and express wagons being used for
auling.

This practically means removal of the berries from the vines as_
quickly as they will slip off the core. Overripe and soft berries
- when mixed with the properly handled and properly matured ones
cause the spoilage of the whole cup and reduce the value of the whole
erate. A soft berry will soon break down; molds will gain entrance
and not only cause the decay of the single berry but spread through-
out the cup. Too much emphasis can not be placed on faultless
sorting.
PROMPTNESS AND QUICKNESS IN COOLING.

Apparently the ripening processes of red raspberries continue very
actively after the fruit is removed from the vine, and especially if
the temperatures are relatively high. To arrest the physiological
activities which constitute ripening, to retard and prevent the ger-
mination of mold spores, and to retard the development and growth

16 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

of mold fungi, it is essential that the berries be promptly and
quickly cooled after picking. The picked berries lose much of their
hfe by standing in the sun after picking and by delay in getting
them into a refrigerator car. The necessity of prompt and quick
cooling will be more fully discussed later,

OTHER INJURIES.

Considerable injury also occurs in hauling over rough roads or
on springless wagons and in rough, careless handling to and from
the wagon in such a way that the berries roll around in the cups,
becoming injured, mashed, and broken. The same applies to han-
dling in the car or in pony refrigerators. A pony refrigerator (fig.
16), when being loaded into an express car, is often tilted at such an
angle and so violently jolted that berries are badly mashed and in-
jured by rolling around in the cups. Much greater care could easily

Fic. 15.—Inspecting red raspberries on the platform at Puyallup, Wash., before loading
them into a refrigerator car.

be exercised even in such a hurry-up job as loading express shipments.
Rough, uneven loading platforms are also the cause of considerable
injury as the fruit is trucked to the car.

FREQUENCY OF PICKING.

It is customary to pick a patch over once a day, although patches
are frequently left two or three days. The pickings should be made
sufficiently close together to avoid having any considerable propor-
tion of overripe berries. Overripe berries are usually sent to the
cannery, but a lot of such berries in a patch makes it extremely dif_i-
cult to obtain good and proper sorting, the result being that a great
many good shipping berries with a few overripe ones in them are
sent to the cannery or else are shipped, with the inevitable decay and
poor returns as a result.

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. iy
RELATION OF RAINFALL TO HANDLING.

The climatic conditions during a season to a great extent de-
termine not only the shipping quality but also the quantity shipped
in a fresh state. During wet, rainy periods it 1s impracticable to
pick berries. Much fruit becomes overripe, and if the rainy weather
continues for any length of time all the berries will lack the desired
firmness, being soft, very tender, and full of moisture. The rains
therefore determine largely the "fresh-fruit output and are a big

Fic. 16.—A pony refrigerator used for the shipment of small lots of red raspberries
under refrigeration. The open refrigerator shows six compartments, three of which
are filled.

fiers in the success attained during any one season. Many berries
mold on the vines during muggy weather, and all the berries are so
extremely tender as to ‘stand practically no pressure or handling
without injury.

RELATION OF METHODS OF GROWING TO KEEPING QUALITY.

The liability to injury in handling depends to some extent also on
the methods of growing and training. The visible evidence in the
valley seems to indicate that potash used with judgment tends toward
firmer and better keeping berries. This statement is not based on any
experimental evidence, but only on a general existing belief among
the better growers and on observation during the two seasons cov-
ered by this work. It is, of course, unnecessary to consider all

those factors in culture that tend to produce first-class fruit. The
&

18 BULLETIN 274, U. 8. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

desirability and advantage of high quality are unquestioned. Much
can be done in training to reduce the liability to injury, especially at
harvest time. It is customary to cut out the greater portion of the
nonbearing wood, leaving only sufficient to allow for a good selection
of canes for next year. The remaining nonbearing canes are often-
times sorted out from the others and tied to a separate wire in order
to facilitate picking. This enables the pickers to get at the berries
more easily, lessens the liability of leaving berries that should be
picked, and makes it possible to do the picking with more care.

THE LABOR PROBLEM.

The fact that much of the picking is done by help which has had
no previous experience necessitates a great deal of painstaking work
on the part of the grower and foreman in instructing the pickers in
proper methods and in seeing that they follow instructions. Until the
labor becomes thoroughly trained the picking may be anything but
that desired or necessary for the best results. A great many of the
pickers are children, and it is almost impossible to impress upon them
the reason or necessity for careful handling and to imbue them with
the proper feeling of responsibility. Aside from other considerations,
the fact that the pickers are paid almost entirely on the basis of
quantity makes the problem of securing proper care in handling even
more difficult.

HANDLING, AN ECONOMIC PROBLEM.

The problem of handling is one of great economic importance and
equally as momentous as that of growing. The fullest measure of
success can come only to those who, after producing the finest fruit
possible, successfully solve the problem of handling so as to insure
the maximum carrying quality of the fruit. To overcome the losses
in transit and to broaden the marketing territory are strictly business
propositions related to methods of organizing the berry business, to
systems of hiring labor, to methods of picking, hauling, and ship-
ping, to methods of inspection at receiving sheds, and to the proper
utilization of precooling and refrigeration. Any system of handling
that puts a premium on quantity and not quality must necessarily be
detrimental to the best interests of the industry.

CAREFUL-HANDLING EXPERIMENTS.

During the season of 1911 and 1912 a series of careful-handling
experiments was made in order to determine the relation of the
methods of handling to the decay and deterioration of red raspberries
in transit and after arrival on the market. Each lot or series con-
sisted of a number of carefully handled crates of raspberries with
the same number of comparable commercially handled crates from
the same yard and picked at the same time. During the season of
1911 it was found impracticable to make shipments, and therefore
all lots were held in a fully iced refrigerator car, from which fruit
was withdrawn after lapses of time representing transit periods of
four, six, and eight days, respectively. The percentages of decay

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. 19

were determined by carefully separating the moldy and soft berries
from the sound ones, the percentages being based on actual weights
of moldy, soft, and sound berries.

RESULTS OF THE HOLDING TESTS IN 1911.

The carefully handled berries held in a car for four days developed
only 0.4 per cent of decay, while the commercially handled compar-
able lots developed an average of 4.6 per cent of decay. The berries
held six days in a car developed even more striking differences, the
carefully handled 0.2 per cent and the commercially handled 9.9
per cent of decay. At the end of eight days the carefully handled
fruit had developed but 2.2 per cent of decay as against 26.7 in that
commercially handled, or only one-twelfth as much. At the end of
eight days the carefully handled fruit had developed only half as

CAREFUL ORDINARY
HANDLING ; * COMMERCIAL HANDLING

PER CENT DECAY PER CENT DECAY
ee
Cae cos aaa) FOUR DAYS IN CAR I Tan tant ares
[04 ON WITHORAWAL 4.6
[io oneoaYLaATER 17.5 (0

SIX DAYS IN-CAR
J02 oNwiTHDRAWAL 9.9 QE
MN 3s onecyctateR 31.9 (Too

EIGHT DAYS IN CAR
22 ON WITHDRAWAL 26.7 (SSIES rare reer
(IIIT 8-1 ONE OY TR 47 Ecc -

Iie. 17.—Diagram illustrating the percentage of decay in carefully handled and com-
mercially handled red raspberries held in an iced car at Puyallup, Wash., for four,
six, and eight days, on withdrawal and one day later, season of 1911.

much decay as that commercially handled in the car but four days.
Figure 17 and Table 1 show the differences in decay due to differences
in handling methods. Included under the term“ decay ” as used here
are both soft and moldy berries. Under the first designation are
included berries entirely too soft and mushy to be marketable for any
purpose, but showing no mold.

The development of less decay in the fruit held in the car six days
than in that held. for but four days is an apparent inconsistency, but
it is easily accounted for when one takes into consideration the fact
that different lots of fruit must necessarily be used at each inspection.
While the aggregate of fruit used in these investigations was large,
the quantity ‘of fruit inspected each time for any part of a single ex-
periment or test was necessarily limited, and such slight discrepancies
as occur in Table 1 and others usually result from occasional bad
decay in a single cup or crate.

20 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

TABLE 1.—Decay in carefully handled and commercially handled red raspberries
held in an iced car at Puyallup, Wash., in 1911.

Decay on withdrawal. Decay 1 day after withdrawal.
i ee ee ee SS ee
Time in iced car. Carefully Commercially Carefully Commercially
handled. handled. handled. handled.
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
AS ABYSS ete ee tere eae eRe ee 0.4 4.6 1.0 ie
G dayses 5.2522 es ee Ee Pee ee 2 9.9 3.8 31.9
Sidaysicsos eee eee ee eee ee ee eee 252 26.7 8.1 47.6

MARKET-HOLDING TESTS.

One-half of the fruit from each withdrawal was held one day
under ordinary market conditions and another determination of
decay and deterioration was made. The result of these inspections
is even more striking than of those made on withdrawal. This is
self-evident when allowance is made for the extremely favorable
conditions existing for the development of mold or deterioration
when fruit is exposed to contact with warm air. Imperfections or
injuries due to improper and rough handling, as well as overripe
berries, offer the maximum conditions for spoilage. The carefully
handled fruit held four days in the refrigerator car and one day
after withdrawal developed 1 per cent of decay, the commercially
handled 17.5 per cent. The after-withdrawal inspections of the
6-day lot showed 3.8 per cent of decay in the carefully handled and
31.8 per cent of decay in the commercially handled fruit, while simi-
lar inspections of the 8-day lots showed 8.1 per cent of decay in the

carefully handled and 47.6 per cent in the commercially handled
berries. Figure 17 brings out most strikingly these differences and
the relation of handling to keeping quality.

From this showing it is safe to assume that fruit handled with the
proper degree of care can be shipped fully twice the present distance,
or a distance representing a haul of 4,000 miles, as against a 2,000-
mile haul for ordinarily handled fruit. This assumption is further
strengthened and the results in 1911 further corroborated by the re-
sults of the careful- handling work during the season of 1912, when a
series of actual shipments was made to Grand Forks, N. Dak. The
fruit held in the iced car at Puyallup the previous season was really
under more favorable conditions than exist in a fully loaded refrig-
erator car, as the holding car was only partially filled and the rate
of cooling of all lots was more rapid than in fully loaded cars. It
was therefore deemed necessar y to obtain some data from actual ship-
ping experiments.

Great difficulty was experienced in procuring the desired number
of cars consigned to any one market, but arrangements were made to
place the experimental crates in cars destined for Grand Forks or
routed through that point, opening the cars and withdrawing the
crates in transit. The crates were transferred to an iced car “held
there, the transfer being made quickly after wrapping in thick can-

vas to protect the contents from contact with the warmer air and pre-
vent a cohsequent condensation of moisture. The fruit was trans-
ferred to the refrigerator car and held for different lengths of time
after arrival there, in order that conditions representing hauls of

2 ee

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. Pad

approximately four, six, and eight days might be obtained. The pe-
riod of transportation to Grand Forks was usually a little less than
four days, and the fruit was quite thoroughly cooled in transit, so
that the transfer to another iced car resulted in but slight change in
temperature. The holding periods of two and four days i in this car
after arrival therefore gave conditions during transit periods of six
and eight days. These “periods correspond with the holding periods
at Puyallup during the season of 1911.

SHIPPING TESTS DURING THE SEASON OF 1912.

Figure 18 and Table 2 show the results of these inspections and
corroborate fully the results of the season of 1911.

The carefully handled fruit shows but 0.2, 0.8, and 2.7 per cent of
decay at the end of four, six, and eight days, respectively, as against
3.9, 7.4, and 14.6 per cent of decay for the commercially handled

CAREFUL : ORDINARY _
HANDLING COMMERCIAL HANDLING

FER CENT DECAY FER CENT DECAY

|FOUR DAYS IN CAR | | ! | |

- |0.2 ON WITHDRAWAL 3.9 —EREael
Jos oneEoaYLATER 9.7 (I

SIX DAYS IN CAR
B08 ONWITHDRAWAL 7.4 —

5.5 ONE DAY LATER

EIGHT DAYS IN CAR
fl 2.7 «ON WITHORAWAL «14.c RR
TOTTI) §-t ONE Oy TER

Iie. 18.—Diagram illustrating the percentage of decay in carefully handled and ordi-
nary commercially handled red raspberries after arrival at Grand Forks, N. Dak. The
decay shown under the heading ‘* Four days in ear” is that developed in transit from
Puyallup to Grand Forks, and the decay shown under the headings ‘‘ Six days in ear ”
and “ Hight days in car,’ respectively, represent additional holding periods in an iced
ear at Grand Forks of two and four days, making total transit periods of six and
eight days.

berries for the same periods. The after-withdrawal inspections are
equally striking. There was less decay (2.7 per cent) in the care-
fully handled fruit at the end of eight days than in that commercially
handled at the end of but four days (3.9 per cent). These results so
fully corroborate those obtained during the season of 1911 that fur-
ther discussion is unnecessary.

TABLE 2.—Decay in carefully handled and commercially handled red rasp-
berries shipped to Grand Forks, N. Dak., in 1912.

Decay on withdrawal. Decay 1 day after withdrawal.
Time in iced car. Carefully Commercially Carefully Commercially
handled. handled. handled. handled.
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
ANDY Serene Seo = Sas en eee ecds 0.2 3.9 0.8 9.7
(OG EN SSeS Se tare ae rae ie mead 8 7.4 5d 19.8
3 GUISE ot oie Be ONS ARES ae Seiptne Seo + mikes 27 14.6 8.1 3153

292 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

WHAT CONSTITUTES CAREFUL HANDLING.

In view of the superior carrying qualities of the carefully handled
fruit and the marked advantage that its better market-holding prop-
erties give it, it may well be asked, What constitutes careful han-
dling’ This can best be answered by a description of the methods
used in picking the specially and carefully handled lots. |

Special care was taken to remove the berries from the bushes with-
out breaking or crushing them and to place each berry in a cup
immediately, in order to avoid mashing it in the hand. Bruising in
picking can be avoided to a great extent by using three fingers on
each berry instead of two. When only two fingers are used, the
pressure is concentrated at two points on the berry, while the use of
three fingers distributes the pressure more evenly and very greatly
lessens the lability to injury, provided no more pressure than is
necessary is used to separate the cap from the receptacle. Great
care was exercised to
place all overripe

GROWER ial j

canes . ; berries in separate
cups and to put none
aS but sound, unbroken,
247 uninjured, and prop-
284 erly matured berries
2a into cups and crates
476 :
ee intended for long-
413 distance shipment.
200 Berries may be con-

sidered properly ma-
tured as soon as they
will slip off the core
without breaking.
; The frequency of
in, 2 gee ueetay Oe renee ae die eee
fruit obtained from various growers, this fruit being held factor in careful han-
in an ordinary iced car for four days at Puyallup, Wash., :
in the season of 1911. dling. Proper han-
dling, as above de-
scribed, is comparatively a simple matter where the pickings are made
sufficiently close together to avoid having an undue proportion of
overripe berries in the yard. If a grower gets behind in the pick-
ing, careful handling is much more difficult of accomplishment,
owing to the great quantity of “overripes.” The filled crates were
hauled to the receiving station or car in spring wagons and covered
with canvas to protect the fruit from the sun and dust. Previous
tc loading, the crates containing the fruit were kept in the shade
of a receiving shed and exposed as little as possible to the sun after
removal from the vines. When loading on and unloading from the
wagons and when placing in the car the crates were handled with
all possible care, especial effort being made to keep them in a hori-
zontal position and to prevent hard jolting in placing them on the
platform or in the car. The too frequent practice of tipping crates
early on end in loading cars results in considerable bruising, as the
berries roll from side to side in the cups and against the division
board and the cover.
That the berries can be handled commercially with sufficient care
to insure the desired keeping quality is not seriously questioned by

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES 23

intelligent growers. It is largely a matter of the thorough organiza-
tion of their forces, proper instruction in methods of handling,
constant supervision, and careful inspection of work. That many
growers are already accomplishing the work as well or better even
than did the workers of the Bureau of Plant Industry is indicated
in Table 3 and Figure 19, which show the percentages of mold, soft
berries, and total deterioration in the first inspection of fruit from 12
different growers. The decay runs from 1.3 per cent to 39 per cent.

TABLE 3.—Moldy and soft berries and total decay in commercially handled lots
of red raspberries from different growers held in an iced car at Puyallup,
Wash., in 1911.

Grower No. Moldy. Soft. rade: Grower No. Moldy. Soft. prides
Per cent.| Per cent.| Per cent. Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent.
TM Be Ree ats ee ae 29.5 9.0 BOnOF OLA. epee ne ee aes 36. 4 0.4 36.8
AG oe ere hay Sete es 30. 6 8 S204 aloe See ae tee 6.7 20. 0 26.7
DA es ite Mees eens a 1.3 6. 2 Lay OAD, Ves Ra aera 38. 0 1.0 39.0
ORYZA. SRT) a ee {fe 4,2 BUSS ial | ee ees isis oe eee 4 .9 183
Oe Sse Ae SONA oe aan 7.4 4 Car eoui| |e OL 2, serene epee ae ee 1 1,2 eS
CUO aes Des Sey earns 5.6 4.3 Qu ON ASS oe ee veya 5 10.0 10.5

These men paid their pickers the same wage. The great differences
noted were due mainly to the character of the work required by the
owner from his help. These figures emphasize most strongly the need
of closer supervision of the picking by the association. If all the
handling operations could be brought up to the standard of the better
ones shown in the above table, the carrying quality and reputation
of the fruit would be greatly enhanced, the markets could be greatly
extended, and more remunerative prices could be obtained.

EFFECT OF DELAY IN COOLING ON KEEPING QUALITY.

Nearly everyone recognizes the need for the prompt cooling of
fruits intended either for shipment or storage, particularly such
tender fruits as red raspberries, which ripen very rapidly after re-
moval from the vines, especially if the temperatures are relatively
high. To demonstrate the effect of delay in cooling on red rasp-
berries, a certain number of crates from each series during the 1911
season were not placed in the refrigerator car until the afternoon of
the following day. Table 4 and Figure 20 bring out strikingly the
results.

TABLE 4.—Decay in commercially handled red raspberries following immediate
and delayed loading at Puyallup, Wash., in 1911.

Decay 1 day after with-

Decay on withdrawal. Fhenaanil.

Time in iced ear. SE [a Eh ce ee CSS
Immediate.| Delayed. | Immediate.| Delayed.

EPCS SAE ab coe Deck ea ee a dell Pei 18.3 39.5
(DCN Se Se Sse SES SP a eae ee 16.9 38. 7 28.3 54.5
BSS GENS a wc act Sak Se Ye RG 30. 2 50. 4 2

A comparison of the figures and diagrams should be sufficient.
The immediate lots showed 7.1 per cent of decay as against 27.7 per
cent of decay in the delayed lots of the same fruit after four days

94 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

in the car. At the second inspection, after six days in the car, the
immediate lots had 16.9 per cent of decay as against 38.7 per cent
of decay for the delayed berries, and at the end ‘of the 8- day period
the immediate lots showed 30.2 per cent of decay as against 50.4 per
cent of decay in the delayed fruit. The inspections one day later are
equally striking and convincing. These results emphasize further
the importance of protecting the fruit after picking from undue ex-
posure to the sun and of getting it under refrigeration quickly.

PRECOOLING EXPERIMENTS.

In the precooling experiment with red raspberries at Puyallup
during the season of 1911, it was not possible to combine the careful-
handling investigations with precooling. The precooling tests in-
og ‘therefore, only commercially handled lots. The precooling

TAS accomplished by means of the portable ammonia plant of the

IMMEDIATE DELAYED

PER CENT DECAY FER CLIVT DECAY
45 49 3s 30 25 20 1s 10.5 ° te) 5 10 15 20 25 30
|FOUR DAYS IN CAR
WEEE 7.10 on witorawaL 27.7 [GSS vam
TTT 8.3 one cay water 395 (OOOO

SIX DAYS _IN CAR
ESTE 16.9 ON WITHDRAWAL 38.7 ERED

TOT) 28.3 ONE DAY LATER. 54.5 |] iii ii 7

_EIGHT DAYS IN CAR.
RENN 20.208 WITHORAWAL 50.4 Re
qe J 43.5 one DAY LATER 621 (00

ie. 20. Diagram illustrating the percentage of decay in red raspberries of immediate
and del ayed loading, season of 1911, representing comparable lots of fruit, the
immediate loaded as soon as brought in from the field, the delayed held over until the
next day before being placed in the refrigerator car. Both lots were held in an iced
car at Puyallup, Wash.

Department of Agriculture, both before and after loading the fruit
in the cars. For the warehouse precooling test—cooling before
Joadi efrigerator car was used as a warehouse cooling room
by putting in a false Aeor and ceiling, and the fruit loaded into the
car was cooled by forcing the cold air from the precooling plant
under and through the false floor and the fruit. After cooling, the
fruit was transferred into another pre-iced refrigerator car for
shipment, the loading being done through a canvas ‘hood to protect
the fruit from contact with the warm outside air. Only a few tests
were made with this outfit.

Most of the precooling tests were made with fully loaded ears,
the cold air being forced in one bunker through the fruit and taken
out at the other bunker and back to the plant for recooling. It was
not practicable to obtain inspections at the market end, and therefore
marked crates from the. precooled cars, together with check erates
of the same fruit nonprecooled, were held in an iced.car for four,
six, and eight days. In most cases the average temperatures of the
fruit in the precooled cars were reduced to about 40°, the initial
temperatures being often above 70° F.

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. 25

The results of this work, while decidedly beneficial in most re-
spects, emphasize str ikingly, as in the case of many other fruits used
in similar tests, that precooling can never be depended upon to ac-
complish nearly as much as careful handling. While precooling
proved decidedly beneficial, it did not in any measure. overcome the
bad effects of rough, careless, and improper handling. The most
noticeable. feature of the precooling was the improved appearance
of the precooled berries, which were decidedly brighter and fresher
than those held without precooling.

PRECOOLING EXPERIMENTS IN THE SEASON OF 1911.
The inspections were made in the same way as those described for

the careful-handling investigations. Table 5 and Figure 21 give the
results of the precooling work during the season of 1911.

TABLE 5.—Decay in commercially handled red raspberries that were immedi-
ately loaded and held in an iced car with and without precooling.

: ; i Decay 1 day after with-
Decay on withdrawal. Cerna
Time in iced ear. =

onore- ae Nonpre-

Precooled. cooled. | Precooled. eaoled!

Per cent. Per cent. | Per cent. Per cent.

ANG Diy SON ee eS ee toe cree SRS we rnc NE Be) eet cee Seals 2.2 5.9 9.5 16.5
GID AY SSa ere ee Noah Sr eee ora eie aM Aa ine Sisincmisiere Onn 15.4 | 19.1 34.8
Sl Ay Sete eae Sees cee eta am aaee ei sete ae meee 17.2 27.3 36. 0 45.1

Precooled, immediately loaded, commercially handled berries
showed 2.2 per cent of decay and the nonprecooled 5.9 per cent of de-
cay at the end of the 4-day period, and 9.1 per cent of decay and 15.4

PRECOOLED NON PRECOOLED

PER CENT DECAY PER CENT DECAY
lee as ae Secmpens! oa ee al eae came eon ews"
FOUR DAYS IN CAR
i 22 ON wiTHoRAWwAL 5.9 Gy
A 9.5 one oaY LATER 16.5 IMM

SIX DAYS IN CAR
MS 99.) ON WiTHORAWAL 5.4
OTT) ‘9.1 one oAY LATER 34.8 [MMMM

EIGHT DAYS IN CAR
EE 7.20 ON WiTHORAWAL 27.3 RS
CO 36.0 one pAY LATER 45.1 (Io

Fie. 21.—Diagram illustrating the percentage of decay in comparable precooled and
nonprecooled commercially handled red raspberries held in an iced car, season of
1911, at Puyallup, Wash., for four, six, and eight days.

per cent of decay, respectively, at the end of the 8-day period. The
after-withdrawal inspections are consistent with the withdrawal
results. The ratio of percentages of decay is much the same at the
end of the 4-day period (9.5 per cent of decay in the precooled and
16.5 per cent of decay in the regular iced) and at.the end of the
8-day period (86 per cent of decay in the precooled and 45.1 per
cent of decay in the nonprecooled). These data, while emphasizing

26 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

the beneficial effects of precooling, bring out most strongly the im-
portance of careful handling.

PRECOOLING EXPERIMENTS IN THE SEASON OF 1912.

During the season of 1912 the precooling investigations were con-
tinued, and carefully handled as well as commercially handled ber-
ries were used. The fruit was shipped to Grand Forks, N. Dak.,
as in the case of the handling investigations previously noted. Un-
fortunately, owing to market conditions a number of precooled and
check cars were diverted and did not reach the inspection point.
The data, while not as comprehensive as desirable, are nevertheless
consistent with the results of the 1911 season and are considered
sufficiently conclusive to warrant final deductions being made.

As in the season of 1911, more beneficial results were obtained from
careful handling than from precooling alone. The results, however,
bring out clearly the fact that precooling with proper handling is
of great service and value in the preservation of fruits like red

PRECOOLED

NON PRECOOLED

FER CENT DECAY PER CENT DECAY

is ied = ° ° S 10 5 20 25 30 3s 4° as so
|FOUR DAYS IN CAR! I ;
B10) «ON WITHDRAWAL 0.0

0.0 ONEDAYLATER 1.1 J

_SIX DAYS IN CAR _
0.0 ONWITHDRAWAL 0.2 I

5.7. ONE DAY LATER 12.6 [II

EIGHT DAYS IN CAR
0.0 ON WITHDRAWAL 4.8 (BH

[0] 39 ONE DAY LATER 18.6 [I

Fic. 22.—Diagram illustrating the percentage of decay in precooled and nonprecooled
carefully handled red raspberries shipped from Puyallup, Wash., to Grand Forks,
N. Dak., season of 1912.

raspberries in maximum good condition while in transit. Table 6
and Figure 22 show the results of the carefully handled precooled
and nonprecooled shipments.

TABLE 6.—Decay in carefully handled red raspberries shipped to Grand Forks,
N. Dak., under ordinary icing, with and without precooling, in 1912.

Decay on withdrawal. Decay 1 day after with-

drawal.

Time in iced ear. [N N
Nonpre- Nonpre-
Precooled. cooled! Precooled. cooled.

Per cent. | Percent. | Percent. | Per cent.
1.0 0 0

OSS: foo ca ak eae end Fe ee ee ee es sg!
CONUS tes a ke ee oe ne eee = ee On od 2 5.7 12.6
SOaVEs. oa ose eae, Eee ae ee ee ae 0 | 4.8 3.9 18.6

The precooled carefully handled berries showed practically no
decay on withdrawal after four, six, and eight days in the car, ex-
cept 1 per cent after four days. This is an apparent discrepancy,
but it is easily accounted for when one considers that it is impossi-
ble to use the same lots for inspection more than once. The non-

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. o7

precooled berries showed no decay at the first withdrawal, 0.2 per
cent of decay at the second, and 4.8 per cent of decay at the end of
the 8-day period. The after-withdrawal inspections, after the fruit
had been held on the market for one day, are even more striking
and instructive. The first market-holding inspection of the pre-
cooled fruit showed it to be apparently sound, while at the second in-
spection there had developed 12.6 per cent of decay and at the third
inspection there was found 18.6 per cent of decay. While there was
little difference between the precooled and nonprecooled fruit at the
withdrawal inspections, there was quite a marked difference in favor
of the precooled berries in the market-holding inspections. The non-

PRECOOLED NON PRECOOLED

FER CENT DECAY FER CENT DECAY
10 ° ° 10 5 20 - 40 45 50

FOUR DAYS IN CAR! | |
om 4.2 ON WITHDRAWAL 7.4 RD

ONE DAY LATER 13.8

SIX Days IN CAR
BBB 4.80 ON WITHDRAWAL 1.9. pancmnny
Lin 137 one DAY LATER «25.5 [I ALAR

EIGHT DAYS IN CAR
BEE <2 roca | ESTA

HUAN] 20. t

Fic, 23.—Diagram illustrating the percentage of decay in precooled and nonprecooled
commercially handled red raspberries shipped from Puyallup, Wash., to Grand Forks,
N. Dak., season of 1912.

precooled fruit apparently was somewhat riper, having ripened or
matured more rapidly under the higher temperatures in the cars
not precooled, and it therefore commenced to break down sooner than
the precooled fruit.

The effect of precooling on commercially handled fruit is equally
consistent with the results of the season of 1911, as shown in Table
7 and Figure 23. It is unnecessary to discuss these data in detail.

TABLE 7.—Decay in commercially handled red raspberries shipped to Grané
Forks, N. Dak., under ordinary icing, with and without precooling, in 1912.

Decay on withdrawal. Decay 1 day after with-

drawal.
Time in iced car. N N
Nonpre- Nonpre-
Precooled.| “cooled. | Precooled-| “cooled.

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.

ECORI: © arte OSE ue ts REE ste i 4,2 .4 8.3 13. &
CC Sis eee ie eee ee ee ae ou 4,8 11.9 BS Y/ Dae
STAVES oe. SO aarti NS BGT ei ies ey Seg es ee ge 11.4 22.7 7A ak 36. 4

While again emphasizing the beneficial effects of precooling, these
results emphasize even more strongly the importance of careful
handling. The difference in decay between the precooled and non-
precooled berries indicates clearly the effect of temperature on the
acceleration or retardation of the ripening processes and the growth
of mold fungi. The more promptly the fruit is cooled and the
lower the temperature (without actual freezing) at which the fruit

28 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

is held in transit, the more quickly and completely are the ripening
processes checked and the slower is the growth cf mold fungi.

TABLE 8.—Decay in carefully handled precooled and commercially handled non-
precooled red raspberries shipped to Grand Forks, N. Dak., in 1912.

Decay on withdrawai. Decay 2 days after withdrawal.
Time in iced car. : x 4 Commercially _ | Commercially
carefully nan’ | handied non | Carefully ban | handled non
set : prceeeient P ‘| precooled.
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
AAR YS so sae te Seesaw eee ase ae 1.0 7.4 0 13.8
Grae ysseree bce Fee Serene s Sh eee 0 11.9 ok 25s5
y | 0 22.7 3.9 36.4

Table 8 and Figure 24 give a comparison of decay in cars of pre-
cooled, carefully handled fruit and nonprecooled, commercially
handled fruit, which can not fail to be impressive. Careful handling

CAREFULLY HANDLED COMMERCIALLY HANDLED
PRECOOLED NON-PRECOOLED

PER CENT DECAY PER CENT DECAY
2s 20 iS 10 5 ° ° 5 10 15 20 25 30 3s 40
: | FOUR DAYS _IN CAR ! | } |

| 1.0 ON WITHDRAWAL 7.4 aa

0.0 ONE DAY LATER 13.8 HIATT TS

SIX DAYS _IN CAR
0.0 ONWITHORAWAL 119

HN) 5.7 ONE DAY LATER = 25.5 full

EIGHT DAYS IN CAR _
0.0 ON WITHDRAWAL 227 EEE

3.9 ONE DAY LATER 36.4 [I]

Fic. 24.—Diagram illustrating the percentage of decay in carefully handled precooled
red raspberries in comparison with commercially handled nonprecooled red raspberries
shipped from Puyallup, Wash., to Grand Forks, N. Dak., season of 1912.

with precooling made possible an 8-day trip with sound delivery and
practically no spoilage during the market-holding period, while the
commercially handled fruit nonprecooled showed 7.4 and 22.7 per
cent of decay, respectively, at the end of 4 and 8 day transit periods,
with 13.8 per cent of decay and 36.4 per cent of decay at the re-
spective market-holding inspections.

DECAY IN TOP AND BOTTOM CRATES.

The temperature effect is again strikingly emphasized in a com-
parison of decay in the top and bottom crates in a refrigerator car.
It has been conclusively demonstrated that there is a marked differ-
ence in temperature at the bottom and the top of the load in an iced
car. ‘This difference is usually more than 10 degrees and less than 20
degrees. In the nonprecooled lots the bottom crates showed 5.5 per
cent of decay and the top crates of the same fruit 9.4 per cent of
decay at the end of four days. <A study of Table 9 and Figure 25
shows these'differences to be consistent for all inspections. The pre-
cooled cars show similar differences, the bottom having 2.6 per cent of
decay and the top 5.6 per cent at the first withdrawal inspection.

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. 29

‘TABLE 9.—Decay in the top and bottom tiers in commercially handled red rasp-
berries shipped to Grand Forks, N. Dak., under ordinary icing, with and with-
out precooling, in 1912.

Decay, precooled. Decay, nonprecooled.

TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS IN AN ICED REFRIGERATOR CAR.

Temperature readings taken during the season of 1913 in a car of
blackberries in transit from Puyailup to Grand Forks show clearly
the reason for the marked differences in decay in berries in the top

PRECOOLED

NON PRECOOLED

FER CENT DECAY FER CENT DECAY

Is 10 5 ° fo} 5 fe} Is 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
|FOUR DAYS IN CAR! |

GB 2.6 BOTTOM TIER

MMMM 5.6

TOP TIER

5.5 i
9.4 TMM

SIX DAYS IN CAR

HH 30
TMM «.s

BOTTOM TIER

TOP TIER

6
4.2 (Mn

EIGHT DAYS IN CAR.
i

TMM ss Tor TER 8 26)

Fie. 25.—Diagram illustrating the percentage of decay on withdrawal in bottom and
top tiers in precooled and nonprecooled commercially handled red raspberries shipped
from Puyallup, Wash., to Grand Forks, N. Dak., season of 1912.

and bottom tiers. Figure 26 illustrates this range of temperatures.
The upper curve shows the temperature of the fruit in the top tier,
temperature readings being taken at the following points: Next to
the bunker, halfway from the bunker to the door, and in the middle
of the car. The temperatures in the lower curve were taken in the
bottom tier in the same relative positions in the car and were the
average of readings taken at three points, the same as in the upper
curve. The middle curve is simply an average of the top and bottom
tier readings. In some cases the difference in average temperature
between the top and bottom crates was more than 20 degrees, enough
to account for the difference in decay in the fruit in the top and bot-
tom tiers. The lesser difference at. the beginning of the trip is partly
accounted for by the fact that the car was partially precooled before
shipment. ‘The data presented in these curves emphasizes strongly
the necessity of loading the car in such a way as to afford the freest
possible circulation of cold air from the bunkers to all portions of
the car.

80 BULLETIN 274, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

It is not uncommon where salt has been added at each re-icing en
route to find spoilage both from freezing and from deterioration on
account of too high temperatures. In such cases the temperature at
the floor next to the iced bunkers becomes sufficiently low to cause the
treezing of some of the fruit on the floor in the ends of the car, while
at the top in the middle of the car the temperature is often so high
that the fruit is in an overripe condition. The temperature tests made
in fully loaded cars of berries in transit would indicate that it is not
os ordinarily advisable
=! to add salt in re
icing after the first
40 hours in transit.
During the first part
of the journey and
before shipment no
doubt the addition of
a certain percentage
of salt to the crushed
ice in the bunker
greatly aids in ob-
taining quick cooling,
but the addition of
salt at each re-icing
during a journey of
over 40 hours may

| (i

35 a

AUGUST //

AUGUST /2 GUGUST

4UGUST

Iric. 26—Diagram illustrating the average temperature of
fruit in top and bottom tiers and average temperature
of all fruit in the car of blackberries in transit from
Povalluy, Wash,, to Grand Forks, N. Dak., season of

oO.

result in consider-
able damage by freez-
ing in certain por-

tions of the car. If
there was some way of circulating the cold air throughout the
car so as to prevent the formation of cold pockets. salting through-
out at every re-icing would doubtless be highly beneficial. Possibly
the use of slats or racks on the floor would facilitate the free cir-
culation of cold air sufficiently to avoid the danger of freezing, even
though salting was practiced throughout en route.

THE APPLICATION OF PRECOOLING.

As a result of these investigations, every effort has been made by
the industry to procure proper handling, and a precooling plant has
been erected for cooling the fruit after loading it into the cars.
After observing the methods of operating a number of precooling
plants, one is impressed with the need of organizing or adjusting the
fruit picking and delivery so as to allow sufficient time to precool
the fruit successfully before it enters upon its journey to a distant
market. The most serious and common fault is that of allowing too
little time for precooling; that is, attempting to do precooling in
less than half or quarter of the time actually necessary to accomplish
the desired results. Our experience has demonstrated beyond ques-
tion that the effective precooling of berries can not successfully be
accomplished in less than four or five hours. The precooling of a
car, fully loaded, for an hour or two hours accomplishes little in
the way of actual temperature reduction or in results from the stand-
point of the condition of the fruit on arrival. The investigations of

* — >) o

SHIPMENT OF RED RASPBERRIES. ok

the Department of Agriculture, as above reported, have demon-
strated clearly the beneficial results. of precooling red raspberries,
but to get full value out of the money expended in precooling it is
absolutely necessary to do it properly and well.

Precooling can not be depended on to offset the bad effects of care-
less, rough handling, and for such purpose is not justified any more
than is a half job of precooling of either properly or improperly
handled berries. Thorough precooling of properly handled red
raspberries is fully justified by the results and is of the greatest
assistance in delivering berries to the market in good condition.
Any association, organization, or individual wishing to utilize pre-

eooling in connection with the long-distance shipment of berries
should adapt the picking and handling operations to the needs of
the situation, so as to permit sufficient time for thorough precool-
ing. Otherwise, the money put into precooling is very largely
wasted.

SUMMARY.

The results of these investigations demonstrate that the care exer-
cised in handling and the promptness with which the fruit is cooled
are among the most important factors determining the distance over
which red raspberries can be successfully shipped. These two fac-
tors, more than any other, determine the condition of the berries on
arrival at the market and the area of successful distribution. In
connection with the handling and shipping of fresh red raspberries
the following recommendations are made.

While methods of growing, pruning, and training have primarily
in view the production of the largest possible crop at the most profit-
able period during the season, the grower should also keep in mind
the ease or difficulty of harvesting. If the methods of growing,
pruning, and training are such as to facilitate picking, there will be
less hability to injury to the fruit in handling. Too close planting
or the nonseparation of bearing from nonbearing canes increases the
difficulty of doing the picking either thoroughly or properly.

Before the harvesting season commences “all surplus new growth
should be cut out and the remaining new canes separated from the
bearing vines in such a way as to facilitate finding and ee
the fruit with the least’amount of injury.

In picking, three fingers should be used to remove the berry from
the receptacle instead “of two, as is the common practice. Three
fingers distribute the pressure and lessen the lability to injury.

Each berry should be placed in a cup as soon as removed from
the vine, in order to avoid mashing. When several berries are held
in the hand while picking it is difficult to avoid crushing them.
Crushing or bruising from any cause is to be avoided, as it is often
the cause of serious losses on the market.

The greatest care should be exercised in sorting to place only firm,
good-shipping berries in shipping cups and all soft, overripe, in-
jured berries in canning cups. The inclusion of one overripe berry
in a cup may spoil the whole cup, one cup a whole crate, and a few
such crates a whole carload.

It is very important that the yards be picked over so frequently
that an undue proportion of berries will not become ov erripe. The
frequent picking over of a patch makes good sorting in picking

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

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