UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



% BULLETIN No. 601 



Joint Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, VT*i 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief, and the Bureau of Markets, 



CHARLES J. BRAND, Chief. 



■f&$' < &-ru 



Washington, D. C. 



December 21, 1917 



THE HANDLING AND PRECOOLING OF FLORIDA 

 LETTUCE AND CELERY. 



By H. J. Ramsey, Pomolog ; st in Charge of Fruit and Vegetable Handling andStorag 



Investigations, and E. L. Markell. Scientific Assistant, Office of Horticultural and 

 Pomologiad Investigations . 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Preventing decay in lettuce and celery 1 



Lettuce-handling investigations 2 



Nature of the problem 2 



Outline of experiments in 1913-14 3 



Results of experiments in 1913-14 6 



Outline of experiments in 1914-15 13 



Results of experiments in 1914-15 14 



Celery-handling investigations 18 



Nature of the problem 18 



Page. 



Celery-handling investigations— Continued. 



Outline of celery-precooling experiments. 19 



Transit temperature records 20 



Cost of precooling and initial icing com- 

 pared with regular icing 23 



Outline of celery-storage experiments... 23 



Storage troubles 23 



Results of storage experiments...... 24 



Summary 27 



PREVENTING DECAY IN LETTUCE AND CELERY. 



The lettuce and celery crops of Florida contribute annually about 

 one and one-half million dollars to the incomes of the truck growers in 

 that State. About 4,000 acres now are devoted to the culture of these 

 crops, and this area is being increased constantly. The expansion 

 of the celery industry has been especially rapid. Starting practically 

 within the last decade, Florida is now one of the leading celery- 

 producing States of the Union. The census of 1909 shows that 

 Florida had then only 825 acres of celery. By 1913 the plantings 

 had increased to 1,280 acres, 1 an increase of 55 per cent in four years. 



The diseases and insect enemies to which most cultivated plants 

 are susceptible quickly appear in new localities where the plants 

 are introduced. Though they may not be apparent at first, when 

 climatic and other conditions are favorable these enemies may so 



1 Agricultural statistics for the years 1913-14. In 13th Bien. Rpt. Dept. Agr. Fla., Div. Agr. and Immigr., 

 1913-14, p. 276. [1915.] 



10911°— 17— Bull. 601 1 



