18 CIRCULAR 659, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



disinfectant properties of whitewash, but from a practical standpoint 

 this is of questionable value. It is especially desirable, however, to 

 clean and disinfect the floor, which is not whitewashed. Thorough 

 scrubbing with water containing about 0.5 percent sodium hypochlorite 

 and a suitable wetting agent is recommended. A number of commercial 

 preparations on the market are suitable for the- purpose. 



For disinfection, sulfur dioxide, the gas produced by burning sulfur, 

 can be used. The proportion ordinarily used is 1 pound of sulfur to 

 1,000 cubic feet of space. It should be burned in a metal vessel placed 

 on bricks or otherwise held off the floor. All openings should be kept 

 tightly closed for an hour or so in order to permit utilization of the maxi- 

 mum concentration of sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is most effective 

 when floors are sprinkled to create a moist atmosphere; as this increases 

 its corrosive effect on metals it is recommended that motors within the 

 room be tightly wrapped with waterproof paper to prevent possible 

 injury. Ordinarily formaldehyde candles can likewise be burned as in 

 household disinfection, but formaldehyde is less satisf actory than sulfur 

 dioxide because of the persistence of the odor, and thorough airing out 

 for a considerable period afterward is required. 



Caution. — Both sulfur dioxide and formaldehyde are toxic and in- 

 jurious to apples, and no fruit should be placed in the rooms until all 

 traces of gas have disappeared. They are likewise strong irritants to 

 eyes and mucous membranes. Care must be exercised to avoid contact 

 with the fumes during or after fumigation. Doors or windows should be 

 opened to air the rooms thoroughly after fumigation and before they are 

 entered by workmen. It is feasible therefore to fumigate only during 

 the season when the storage space is not in use. 



Bruising and Other Mechanical Injuries 



The importance of bruising and other mechanical injuries in blue 

 mold infection emphasizes the need for preventing such injuries. 

 Pickers, sorters, and packers should wear gloves or trim their fingernails 

 closely to prevent fingernail punctures. All sand, splinters, and pro- 

 jecting nails in the fruit boxes or baskets should be removed. Pickers 

 should be provided with containers having rigid sides, rather than with 

 picking bags (fig. 8), to prevent bruising the apples when the picker leans 

 against the container, as he often does in picking from a ladder or in the 

 tree. Pickers should empty the fruit carefully into the field boxes. They 

 should never drop apples more than an inch or two. Field boxes should 

 be filled less than level full, in order to prevent bruising the fruit when 

 stacked (fig. 9), and care should be exercised in lidding the market pack- 

 ages to prevent cuts or bruises in the fruit. Use of adequate grading and 

 sizing machinery, which moves the fruit gently on belts or rollers, is an 

 important factor in the reduction of bruising damage (fig. 10). Bad 

 bruising often results from lack of adequate precautions in handling the 

 fruit in the packing house, particularly when the fruit is dumped into 

 the washing or sizing machinery. If it is poured out of the field crates 

 and allowed to drop or if it is poured or rolled around in large piles, it is 

 likely to be bruised and stem-punctured. Unless the apple-handling 

 machinery is properly adjusted bruising may also occur. 



A certain amount of bruising during packing and handling probably is 

 inevitable, but most of the serious damage can be eliminated by careful 



