44 



BULLETIN 63, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGEICULTUEE. 



Averaging the results for December, 1910 and 1911, the commercially handled fruit 

 showed 11. G per cent of decay on arrival and the carefully handled 1.8 per cent. 

 During the months of January, 1911 and 1912, the decay of oranges shipped under 

 commercial conditions was 6.8 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively. The corre- 

 sponding carefully handled fruit showed 0.6 and 0.5 per cent, respectively, or 

 practically the same for both years. 



During February commercially handled fruit showed 6.2 per cent of deterioration 

 on arrival at Washington in 1911, the percentage of decay for the following year being 

 1.6 per cent. The average of the February lots for the two seasons was 3.9 per cent. 

 Carefully handled fruit during 1911 and 1912 arrived with 0.5 and 0.2 per cent of 

 decay, respectively, the average for the two years being 0.3 per cent. 



No experimental shipments were made later than February during the second season. 

 In March, 1911, the average percentage of decay in commercial shipments was 5 per 

 cent on arrival, the carefully handled lots showing only 0.3 per cent. 



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Fig. 25.— Diagcam illustrating the percentage of blue-mold decay of oranges on arrival, by months, 

 during two seasons, 1910-11 and 1911-12. 



These figures are significant in that they show a very high percentage of decay 

 during December, followed by a gradual decrease as the season advances. This is 

 true for both commercially and carefiilly handled fruit, although in the case of the 

 latter the loss was, without exception, below the usual 3 per cent commercial allow- 

 ance. It is scarcely probable that decay can be held below this point even with the 

 best system of handling, for it is practically impossible to eliminate every injured 

 orange or to carry on the handling operations in such a way that absolutely no injury 

 is done. The general principle that very slight injury will result in decay when 

 weather conditions are favorable for the development of blue mold is substantiated 

 by these figures, and the importance of extra care during the early months is again 

 emphasized. 



