148 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



May 8, 1915. 



FRUIT AND FRUIT TREES. 



THE HANDLING OF ORANGES, GRAPE- 

 FRUIT AND PINE-APPLES. 



One of the principal difficulties attendant on the pro 

 ductii West indies of fruit for export is it 



transportation from thi e tati to th insumer. This a 



has recently received in Porto Rico with regard t" 



orange fruit and pine-applest, which are supplied in 



considerable quantities to the market in New York. La I 



■ put foi ward to the effect that a 

 erable perci the fruit arrived in a decayed cond 



which resulted in the United States I lepartment of Agriculture 

 instituting an which Bulletin X". 7, issued 



by thi i oi Porto Rico, is th tcome. This 



bes the nature of the c v. and 



des a full account of the methods idopted in Porto 

 in the picking, cl u rading, storing, and 



itio imer of the produce in qu ■- 



Thi decay in 1 hi ->■ fruits i^ 



growth of fungi resulting from, in most cases, mech 



In the case ol citrus fruits two fungi, at least, are 

 damaj i blue mould ( /'■ nicillium sp. ). 

 which is quit rophytic, and a Diplodia, which is partially 

 I . i case of pine apples, a Penicillium i 



though the 30 

 < iopsis pnr ido.ra a fungus 

 n this fruit the characteristic 

 The damage caused by these fungi has from timi 



time i attenti f the Imperial Department of 



1 a useful article on thi d pine-apples 



will be found in the Agricultural News on page 222 in 



Vol. Kill. The decay ol citrus fruits was givei asider- 



i tment at the time n hi a the o called 

 'new worm' o was reported to be prevalent in 



a district ; (though tl be ob erved 



in thi of decay were given in connexion with 



these references, it will prove instructive to put forward 

 a short account of the rei ndations made by the Porto 



i in this island the different fruits 

 in que handled on quite a large and apparently 



well organized 



Mention has been made above of the fungi which an 



capabl : ly; but it cannot I ver emphasized 



that the secret oi prevention lies in a careful avoidance of 



even the smallest mechanical injury during handling, the 



avoidance of all unnecessary delay in shipment, and the 



provision of thor ntilation. Turn particularly 



to what the Bulletin inceming the handling of citrus 



fruit, it may first be noted that in picking this fruit it should 



first be severed from thi tree with a stem l-inch long, and 



this should be trimmed off closely and carefully when held 



in plain sight. There is then no danger of leaving a long 



Picking i ri moi satisfactorj for 



lling than baskets, because with a sack the mouth 



can be partly closed so as to make it impossible for the picker 



ruits into it. The practice of dropping or laying 



the fruit on the ground should be avoided, and the fruil 



Id be i veyed a quickly as possible in field boxe 



to tli house. In regard to cleaning the fruit 



which i. the case of Porto Ri pe-fruit but 



litted in the case of oranges the fruit is washed 

 in w, bes to remove the purple scale, sootj 



or dirt. I dished by means of a i hine, and 



after runnii table passes down •• ep runs 



he bins. These steep runs are the principal sou: 



injury, but to avoid risk of injury in any part .,t 



fruit should be washed at all unless 



absolutely necessarj to render it marketable. If th.- fruit 



has to be washed, a spray ol water containing a t. 



copper sulphate i- less objectionable than the use of a soaking 



Tie' la- 1 i [tion to in the Porto Rican 



in concerning tl ruits is delay in 



shipment. The practice ot curing is undesirable when i: 

 delay in this respect. When fresh fruit i 

 placed in the box it i- no more liable to make a slack 

 than i- cured fruit. It is maintained that careful handling in 

 all stages of transportation, and prompt shipment 



I. An experiment is quoted describing how one lot of 

 fruit was picked seven i 



imer. When the fruit was ins 

 on arrival in New Voile, the lot held for seven days 

 shipping showed a di it., when.. 



lecay. Thorough ventila- 

 tion in all stages oi transportation is essential. 



The recommendations made in _ the 



decay of Porto Rican pine-apples include, as in tl 

 citrus fruits, a reference t" the care required in the removing 

 of the fruit from the plant b] cutting. Da -thing 



from this operation should be avoided. Dropping the 

 pine-apples into picking baskets 

 th- rubbing of unw rapped pine ie field crate. This 



latter is likely to cause spine punctures or other injuries 



when the limit is hauled.. Is, or when the crates 



are handled carelessly [t is said that in Porto Rico 



improperly built or faulty sizing machines d i • fruit 



by allowing it to drop or roll forcibly against if the 



bins or to strike against other fruits. The packing bin 



i be padded on all di bottom aould be 



made of canvas or sim iterial. In packing, the 



3 to prevent bruisil nit by 



allowing it to strike or pn dges of the 



slats of the crates. A high bulge on the toplayer should be 



1 as it may result in serious bruising from 



pressure of the lid. The shippin; a or imt 



pine-apples as a mean: oi prevei _ serious loss from decay 



which develops in rip,, fruit ; i, handling 



should be discouraged. Green pine-apple not 1 i 



ally, and consequently a place which supplies 

 will soon gain a bad 



prices. As in th.- . trus fruits, prompt shipment 



after pi. king is essential. Hut it isalso essential that the 

 fruit should !"■ kept at a low temp, i | steamer. 



It is worth recording here that the British West Indies have 

 an ...:■ Mr,, in that 1 1 i Ling at 



■ Rico d.. i. accommodation D 



is stated in the Bulletin that the development of much of 

 the decay in pineapples now found on arrival in New Y.,rk 

 could '..' . he, ked bj Ilation on shipb 



refrigerating de\ ices. 



West Indian Awards at the Toronto Ex- 

 hibition, 1914. Brief information . n received 



. •!.. t,, the tfei t that the 

 following awards have been m: : West Indian Court 



Exhibit at I Gold medal, Barbados; Cold 



medal dip! a, .1. , ] - 1 ] x . I" 



British Guiana, Orenada, St. Vincent, Montserrat, \ 

 St Kit! Nevis, and the Virgin Islands. 



