4 BULLETIN 63, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



With the extension of the plantings coneoquent upon the reestablishment of the 

 industn', and the resulting increase in production, existing conditions have been 

 largely responsible for the improper handling of the fruit, which has been shown by 

 later investigations to be the fundamental factor underlying the occm-rence of decay. 

 Many of the new groves established since the freeze have been planted on pine land, 

 where it has been necessary to use hea^v^ applications of fertilizers. Frequently the 

 fertilizers have been selected with the purpose of producing large crops rather than 

 fancy fruit, and this seems to have been at the expense of quality, thus partly account- 

 ing for the large proportion of rough and unattractive oranges now to be found in the 

 Florida crop. The production of large quantities of rather coarse and uninviting 

 fruit has in turn led to rough and careless handling, for, as a general rule, the more 

 attractive the fruit the greater will be the incentive to handle it carefully when 

 preparing it for shipment. 



In addition to the freeze, unfa-\\)rable conditions have existed which have more or 

 less discouraged many growers and which have led to the production of inferior fruit, 

 with a correspondingly increasing tendency to place it on the market in a manner 

 not conducive to the best results. The control of the white fly, which has spread 

 over practically eveiy citrus district in Florida, has been a serious problem. Fruit 

 which has been rendered unattractive through the attacks of this pest presents one 

 of the most discouraging problems which growers have to solve, for it is difficult to 

 make workmen who pick, grade, and pack unattractive fruit realize the importance 

 of careful handling. The sooty-mold fungus follows the attacks of the white fly, 

 co^'ering the leaves and fruit with a dense black growth which detracts greatly from 

 the appearance of the oranges, and in order to prepare this smutty fruit for market, 

 cleaning is absolutely necessary. The effects of the cleaning processes upon the carrj'- 

 ing quality of the fruit will be described later. 



The market demands high-grade, well-packed fruit. As long as the supply of a 

 commodity does not equal the' demand, a poorer grade or a less attractive package 

 may yield satisfactory returns to the shipper. With keen competition, however, 

 and markets well stocked with good, carefully selected fruit arriving in sound condi- 

 tion, the packer of a poor grade of fruit Avhich frequently arrives in bad order is at a 

 great disadvantage and suffers accordingly. 



METHODS OF HANDLING THE FLORIDA ORANGE CROP. 



The Florida orange begins to ripen in late October or early November, and the ship- 

 ping season extends until spring, some growers of late A^arieties even holding their fruit 

 on the trees until summer. Shipments are usually heavy during December, and in 

 the past approximately 50 per cent of the crop has been sliipped before Cln-istmas. 

 In fact, there has been a strong tendency to begin moving the fruit before it has reached 

 full maturity. This practice has been stimulated because it frequently happens that 

 these early shipments give satisfactory returns, and fruit moved at tliis time runs 

 no risk of being frozen later in the season. The practice of placing on the market large 

 quantities of green fruit of poor eating quality is very objectionable, however, and 

 does not stimulate future consumption of the product. 



During the past few years the tendency has been toward lengthening the marketing 

 season. Instead of attempting to dispose of the bnlk of the crop before the holidays, 

 when a large proportion of the fruit has not reached full quality, the season has gradu- 

 ally been extended, so tliat Florida citrus fruits are now moved in large quantities 

 until the first of April, and even later. The influence of these changed conditions 

 upon the occurrence of decay and deterioration at the market end will be apparent in 

 the later discussion of the occurrence of decay at different times during the shipping 

 eeason. 



