OCR Text |
Show HOW TO HANDLE STRAWBERRY Study In Ozark Region Shows That Much Loss In Transportation Can Be Prevented. (Prepared by the United States Department Depart-ment of Agriculture.) Strawberry growers can prevent much of the losses of their crop due tc cureless handling and improper transportation trans-portation by following the recommendations recommen-dations made by specialists of the United States department of agriculture, agricul-ture, who conducted an investigation in northwestern Arkansas and southwestern south-western Missouri to determine the best methods of handling strawberries from the producer, to the consumer. The studies were limited to the strawberries grown in the Ozark region, re-gion, but the results obtained are applicable ap-plicable to all strawberry-producing regions, the report of the study says The work, conducted in the season ol 1917, was made possible through the assistance and co-operation of railway Carefully Handled, Sound Berries Bring Best Market Prices. lines operating in the territory covered cov-ered and of the leading strawberry-shipping strawberry-shipping organizations. The following summary is given in the report : 1. Careful picking and handling of strawberries to prevent bruising and mechanical injuries is of fundamental importance. Prompt and thorough cooling is necessary to reduce losses from decay in transit. 2. The use of salt immediately after loading and again at tne first reicing, about twelve hours later, is desirable in order to hasten the rate of cooling when cars can be had which are equipped equip-ped with false floors, basket bunkers and solid insulated bulkheads. About two and one-half per cent of the ice capacity of the bunkers at the first application ap-plication and one per cent at the second sec-ond is advised unless the temperature of the fruit when loaded is lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, in which case less salt should be used. 3. Loading crates higher than four layers in the car is to be avoided as far as possible in cars of standard length. Extra space in the center of the car can be eliminated by bracing with wedges instead of using long bracing strips. |