40 



BULLETIN 63, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



Table XIX. — Imperfections in picking and the percentage of blue-mold decay of commer- 

 cially handled oranges on arrival in Washington, etc. — Continued. 





Experimental shipments. 



Time of examination. 



House No. 1. 



House No. 2. 





Imme- 

 diate. 



Delayed. 



Imme- 

 diate. 



Delayed. 



On arrival 



Per cent. 

 



1.5 

 2.7 

 6.0 



Per cent. 

 3.7 



5.2 

 6.7 

 8.2 



Per cent. 

 8.0 

 12.0 

 15.6 

 22.4 



Per cent. 

 19.4 





23.0 



After 2 weeks 



27.4 





34.5 







In house No. 2, which was selected for rough handling, the percentage of clipper 

 cuts was 7.4 per cent; of pulled fruit, 0.1 per cent; and of long stems, 66.8 per cent. 

 The immediate shipments from this house showed an average of 8 per cent decay on 

 arrival and the delayed shipments 19.4 per cent, these percentages being increased 

 to 22.4 and 34.5, respectively, after three weeks in Washington. 



The relationship between the type of field handling and the behavior of the fruit 

 while in transit has been definitely established by numerous experiments during 

 several seasons. The experiment cited above fairly represents the general character 

 and results. 



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Fig. 22.— Diagram illustrating the percentage of imperfections in picking and the percentage of blue- 

 mold decay of oranges on arrival in Washington and after holding for three weeks, in commercially 

 handled lots from two houses in the same locality, 1911-12, showing the effect of careful handling on 

 the carrying quality of the fruit. 



The figures presented in Table XX and the accompanying diagrams (figs. 23 and 24) 

 are shown to indicate the practicability of improving the handling and shipping 

 cf>nditions by giving special attention to the organization of the labor forces. The 

 packing house from which the data were obtained was reorganized at the end of the 

 1910-11 season; the machinery was simplified and every effort was directed toward 

 the introduction of better handling methods. Two experimental shipments were 

 made— one during 1910-11 and one during 1911-12, two lots being sent out each season. 

 The results of the inspections of the field work are given to show the great improve- 

 ment in the second season, the results of careful handling by the bureau workers 

 being also included for comparison with the commercial work done during the two 

 Beasons. 



