SHIPMENT OF ORANGES FEOM FLORIDA. 25 



should be heavy enough to protect the fruit from thorns or twigs, and the capacity- 

 should not be more than half that of a large, standard field box. With a bag of this 

 size and texture it is comparatively easy for the picker to protect the fruit from 

 bruising against the ladder or branches. The wicker basket in use in some districts 

 is supposed to prevent injuries from pressure, but it has several objectionable features. 

 It is, first of all, awkward to handle. The wide mouth is an additional disadvantage, 

 as it tempts tbe picker to drop the fruit; moreover, the large open baskets have no 

 equals as collectors of dry twigs, leaves, and other trash. Some baskets open at the 

 bottom, but from most of them the oranges must be emptied through the top, thus 

 entailing a considerable drop. 



The defects of the ordinary field box have already been discussed. Smaller boxes 

 made of lighter material than those now used in most groves are to be recommended. 



INFLUENCE OF CLEANING OPERATIONS UPON DECAY. 



NECESSITY FOR WASHING. 



On account of the wide distribution throughout Florida of the white fly and its 

 attendant sooty mold, the washing of citrus fruits has become a necessity in most 

 sections of the State. In some localities where the fly has not yet become prevalent 

 washing is practiced in order to give the fruit a higher polish and to improve its 

 appearance. The removal of dust and stains can be equally well accomplished by 

 dry brushes, however, and the risk of infection is not so great. Dxuring the past few 

 years there has been a great increase in the proportion of fruit washed or otherwise 

 cleaned until now the practice is very general throughout the State. The investiga- 

 tions of the Bureau of Plant Industry included a study of the relationship of washing 

 or other cleaning operations to the amount of decay developing after the fruit is 

 packed, and the results indicate that the extent of the deterioration from decay varies 

 with the character of the work done in the cleaning processes. As a general rule, any 

 operation to which the fruit is subjected increases the chance for injury and conse- 

 quent decay. Well-grown fruit, comparatively free from stain or rust, is sufficiently 

 attractive without being cleaned. Demonstrations with both California and Florida 

 citrus fruits have shown that receivers in eastern and northern markets can not dis- 

 tinguish between washed and unwashed packs if the fruit is at all clean when it comes 

 from the grove. From the viewpoint of the effect of any particular operation upon 

 the subsequent behavior of the fruit, the soundest policy is one which will reduce to 

 the lowest possible minimum the processes to which the fruit is subjected in the 

 course of its preparation for shipment. Washing is perhaps the severest treatment 

 that can be given to citrus fruits, and wherever it is not absolutely necessary in order 

 to render the fruit marketable it should be omitted. Wlien oranges have been 

 exposed to attacks of the white fly, washing or some other cleaning process is 

 imperative becaiise of the sooty mold, consequently a large proportion of the fruit 

 must always be subjected to this treatment. The importance of having the work 

 carried on in such a way that as little damage as possible will result becomes doubly 

 urgent when it is considered that the washing processes offer ideal conditions for the 

 spread of blue mold. 



Wherever washing and subsequent drying are practiced, the combined operations 

 are the most complicated processes through which the fruit is put in the packing house. 

 They involve extra handling of the fruit and accordingly furnish additional oppor- 

 tunities for mechanical injm-y. The results of the bureau investigations clearly show 

 that decay in the packed fruit is largely due to injuries received or aggravated during 

 the operations of washing and drying, although it is difficult, if not impossible, to 

 indicate any particular point at which most of the injury takes place. The results 

 of the Florida experiments show that where injuries to the fruit were confined almost 

 23103°— Bull. 63—14 4 



