FUMIGATION OF FRUIT TO DESTROY JAPANESE BEETLE 



11 



F., respectively. All fruits were treated immediately after they 

 were received at the laboratory. The varieties of fruit and the 

 quantities treated are shown in table 2. 



Table 2. — Kinds and quantities of fruit treated with ethylene oxide, 1930 



Fruit 



Variety 



Quantity treated 







fRubel 





















936 pints. 







1,600 quarts. 









Upon completion of the treatment, the raspberries and black- 

 berries were taken from the fumigation chamber and held at out- 

 s i d e temperatures, 



together with rep- 

 resentative quanti- 

 t i e s of untreated 



fruit of 

 varieties, 

 least 48 



the same 

 for at 

 hours to 



£80 



-60 



(A 



!40 



determine the 

 effect of the treat- 

 ments. The blue- 

 berries were held in 

 an incubator at 86° 

 F. for a period of 6 

 days. A comparison, 

 based on the firm- 

 ness of the fruit, 

 indicated that rasp- 

 berries and black- 

 berries were appar- 

 ently uninjured by 

 the treatment, as 

 shown in figure 8. 

 The treated blue- 

 berries were slightly 

 less firm than the 

 untreated ones, as 

 shown in figure 9, 

 but otherwise they 

 seemed equal to 

 the untreated. The 

 presence of retained 

 ethylene oxide was 

 not evident from 

 either the odor or 

 the taste of the 

 fumigated fruit. 



TREATED-— 

 UNTREATED- 



75 



75 



TEMPERATURE (°F.) 



80 



RASPBERRIES 



BLACKBERRIES 



Figure 8. — Proportions of fruits that were firm after treat- 

 ment with 2 pounds of ethylene oxide per 1,000 cubic feet 

 for 2 hours at 75° and 80° F., and subsequent storage 

 for 48 hours at outside temperatures, compared with the 

 proportions of untreated fruits that were firm. 



80- 



TREATED 1 





<£> 





£60- 



UNTREATED |[J| 







AFTER 6 DAYS 

 (PERCENT) 



o 



l l 



1 





3 20 " 



u. 



l 









111 



1 







RUBEL- 



GR0VER 



Figure 9. — Proportions of blueberries that were firm after 

 treatment with 2 pounds of ethylene oxide per 1.000 

 cubic feet for 2 hours at 75° F.. and subsequent storage 

 for 6 days at 86°, compared with the proportions of 

 untreated berries that were firm. 



EFFECT OF ETHYLENE OXIDE ON WET GREEN BANANAS 



Conditions at the port of Philadelphia make it necessary to 

 fumigate railway fruit cars containing wet, green bananas. In 



