HATv T DtHSTG LETTUCE AND CELEEY, 



15 



Table VII and figure 11 show the amount of decay found in the 

 experimental lots of lettuce shipped during the season of 1914-15. 



Table VII. — Average percentages of decay in eighteen experimental lots of carefully cut 

 and commercially cut lettuce shipped to New York City during the season of 1914-15. 



Treatment. 



At withdrawal. 



Three days after 

 withdrawal. 



Carefully 



cut. 



Commer- 

 cially cut. 



Carefully 

 cut. 



Commer- 

 cially cut. 



Nonprecooled: 



Heads showing bad drop-rot 



do 



do.... 



do..-- 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



4.9 

 .4 



15.6 

 2.8 



17 27.4 

 5.9 14.8 



Total drop-rot 



5.3 



18.4 



22.9 | 42.2 



Heads showing bacterial rot 



.9 



3.6 



2.9 | 5.3 



Precooled: 



Heads showing slight drop-rot 



Heads showing bad drop-rot 



2.9 

 1 



10.3 

 2 



7.3 I 18.7 

 2.6 7.9 



Total drop-rot 



3.9 



12.3 



9.9 1 26.6 



Heads showing bacterial rot 



1.4 



3.5 



1.9 4.4 



Figure 11 shows graphically the amount of decay in the lettuce 

 upon its arrival on the market and again three days later. In both 



PRECOOLED 



PER CENT DECAY 



NON PRECOOLED 



UPON ARRIVAL 



PER CENT DECAY 

 — i 1 - \ -> i i — t i ''i 



B3.9 CAREFUL 5. 3 ■ 



jiTrrni2.3 commercial i84iiiiiiiu 

 THREE DAYS LATER 



HK99 CAREFUL 32.9 IIUILMBJ 



mnnmnD2s.6 comme rci mai.2 iiuiiiiiinimrm 



Fig. 11.— Diagram illustrating the percentages of drop decay upon arrival at the market and three 

 days later in precooled and in nonprecooled commercially cut and carefully cut lettuce shipped from 

 Palmetto, Fla., season of 1914-15. 



precooled and nonprecooled lots the amount of decay in the care- 

 fully cut lettuce on arrival is less than one-third that in the com- 

 mercially cut lots. Three days later the carefully cut precooled lettuce 

 showed less than one-half as much decay as that commercially cut. 



It is noticeable in Table VII that considerably more bacterial rot 

 occurred in the commercially handled than in the carefully cut 

 lettuce. From what is known of the nature of this disease it is not 

 likely that this form of decay can be spread as readily by bad harvest- 

 ing methods as the drop or that it will spread from head to head during 

 transit or holding periods, as does the organism that causes drop. 

 The smaller amount of bacterial rot shown in Table VII is probably 

 due primarily to greater care in grading out diseased heads at the 



