50 CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL ExTENsION SErRvicE [Cire 42

good condition. The grower gains in the weight of the erop by this
delay and the consumer receives a higher quality of fruit.?
Under California conditions for long distance shipment, the peaches
are picked somewhat more immature than is desirable for local markets
 (fig. 13). At the packing house the peaches are graded and each
individual fruit is wrapped and packed in standard California peach
boxes. The packed fruit may be precooled and shipped in iced refrigerator
 cars to eastern markets.

Fig. 13.—Harvesting operations in a peach orchard. Pickers using metal picking
pails which are emptied into lug boxes shown stacked in the row. Automobile
trucks haul the lug boxes to the packing house, shipping point, or cannery.

Drying Peaches—Peach drying is most extensively practiced in
the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Some peaches are dried in
southern California; but few along the coast or in the foothills. Only
firm yellow freestone varieties, principally the Muir, Lovell and
Elberta, are dried commercially. In the San Joaquin Valley peach
drying begins as early as July 15 with the Muir and continues into
September with the Lovell. In the Sacramento Valley most of the
peaches are dried during August. The drying ratio of Muir and Lovell
varies from 4:1 to 6:1, while the Elberta will shrink from 6:1 to 8:1.

EY Duruz, W. P, Harvesting and handling California peaches for eastern shipment.
 California Agr. Exp. Sta. Cir. 241:1-21. 1922,