BOBTIOULTUBE. 663 



planting and pruning according to the Stringfellow method, and others much better 



results by the usual method. 



It is believed thai the method of stub-root pruning and cutting the stock back to 

 12 to 18 in., according to the plan advocated by Mr. Stringfellow , has been of greal 

 Bervice in showing that it is uot uecessarj to retain anything like the large quantity 

 of fibrous roots which was formerly supposed. Many large growers arc now cutting 

 l»a< k the roots of trees much more severely al planting time than heretofore. 



Cause of the presence of abnormal quantities of starch in bruised apples, 

 G. Warcollier (Compt Rend. Acad. Sci. [Paris'], 141 i 1905), No. 8, pp. $05-408).— 

 When apples are bruised before ripening the starch in the bruised zone is not con- 

 certed into sugar during the ripening process. The author investigated the cause of 

 this and believes that he has proved it to be due to the action of tannin on the amy- 

 lase, which prevents this diastase fr<>in transforming the starch into fermentable sugar. 



The packing- of peaches, F. Oharmei \ [Jardin, 19 I 1905), No. 446, pp. .•■■ 

 ri<js. 5 ). — Illustrati.»ns showing the packages and methods of packing [.caches; in the 

 south and west of France and in Spain are given. 



How fruit should be packed (Canad. Sort, ?8 (1905), No. 10, pp. 875-877, fig. 

 1). — A discussion is given of Pacific coast practice- in packing fruit and of their 

 application to Canadian fruit. 



Cold storage for fruits and vegetables, R. Stktefei.d (Gartenflora, 54 [1905), 

 No. :/, pp. %81-245)> — A lecture on this subject in which the results of experimental 

 work in the United States and Europe are briefly reviewed and a table given show- 

 ing the best temperatures for Btoring a large Dumber of fruits and vegetables and the 

 kind of packages in which they are commonly stored in Europe. 



Causes of citrus fruit decay, (i. II. Powell (Cal. Cult., .", [1905), No. 15, pp. 

 844, 345). — A preliminary account is given of the investigations \\ hich are being car- 

 ried on by the Bureau of Plant Industry of this Department in cooperation with the 

 fruit interests of California, for the control of losses from disease w hich occur in the 

 handling of California citrus fruits during transportation and marketing. 



Thus far it has been found that mechanical injuries to the fruit are the principal 

 causes of decay. When the skin of an orange or lemon is broken blue mold finds 

 access to the wound and under favorable moisture and temperature conditions devel- 

 ops, resulting in the decay of the fruit. An examination of hundreds of boxes in 

 different representative orange sections of the State indicate that from 15 to 20 per 

 cent of all fruit is made susceptible to rot by puncturing or shaving the skin with 

 clippers when the fruit is picked. 



A table made up from 9 representative experiments with oranges carefully handled 

 in comparison with clipper-cut oranges is given, which shows that in a given time in 

 inoi.-t air and a temperature of 70° l\ the decay of fruits free from cuts averaged about 

 1.5 per cent, while the decay in cut fruits averaged 36.9 per cent. A wide variation 

 was found in the percentage of decay of fruits picked by different pickers, the per- 

 centage ranging from 7 to 72 per cent. Fruits cut with long stems were also found 

 a source of injury, as the Btems puncture other fruits and thus permit the entrance of 

 disease spores. Tin- injury from this source, however, is estimated to be about 1 in 

 26 in comparison with the losses from clipper cutting. 



With the present method of handling fruit in packing houses it is believed thai 

 toobably not 2 percent of the clipper-cut fruit is detected and thrown out by the 

 traders as it passes through the machinery. A large amountof fruit has been exam- 

 ined in bins and boxes already packed which showed that the clipper-cut fruit from 

 such bins and packed boxes ranged from 10 to .37 per cent. 



The brush may be another source of injury to the fruit. Whether it injures the 

 nit mechanically or whether it inoculates the fruit ahead;, injured has not been 

 definitely determined. It has been found, however, that decay in the same lot of 

 20408— No. 7—06 4 



