SPOILAGE OF FRESH FRUITS AXD VEGETABLES 



19 



A summary of all plum and prune inspections is presented in table 

 10. Decay per carlo t inspected ranged from 0.4 to 3.0 percent and 

 averaged 1.8 percent for the entire period. Blue mold rot and 

 rhizopus rot, which were of nearly equal importance, were reported 

 each year. Neither gray mold rot nor brown rot was very prevalent. 

 The most decay was reported from Idaho fruit and the least from 

 California. More brown rot was reported from California than from 

 any other State. All inspections were on western fruit. 



Pomegranates 



During the 7-year period 176 carlots of pomegranates, all rail ship- 

 ments from California., were unloaded. Inspections were made on 97 

 carlots, or 55 percent of the total. Distribution of decay within them 

 was as follows: 



Carlots in indicated Carlots in indicated 



decay class decay class 



Decav class (percent) : Number Percent Decay class (percent) — Number Percent 



76 78.4 Continued 



Trace-4 17 17.5 15-19 1 1.0 



5-9 1 1.0 20-24 1 1.0 



10-14 1 1.0 



Decay, averaging 3.3 percent per carlot showing decay, was found 

 in 21 carlots, or 22 percent of those inspected. Distribution of decay 

 by types was as follows: 



Distribution 



Kind of decav: Carlots (number) Average per carlot (percent) 



Gray mold rot 10 4.4 



Blue mold rot 8 2.0 



Other decay 4 2.3 



On the basis of all carlots inspected there was an average of 0.45 

 percent of gray mold rot, 0.16 percent of blue mold rot, and 0.09 per- 

 cent of other decay — a total of 0.7 percent. 



Strawberries 



Approximately 13,500 carlots of strawberries were unloaded during 

 1936-42, the years when inspections were made. Seventy-two per- 

 cent of them arrived by truck from 18 States, chiefly Florida, Vir- 

 ginia, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey. 

 Twenty-eight percent were rail shipments, nearly three-fourths of 

 which originated, in Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana. 



Inspections were made on 913 carlots, or approximately 24 percent 

 of all rail shipments. Distribution of decay within them was as 

 follows: 





Carlots in indicated 

 decay class 



Decay class (percent) — 

 Continued 



20-24 



25-29 



30-34 



Carlots in indicated 

 decay class 



ecay class (percent) : 



0__" 



Trace-4 



5-9 



10-14 



15-19 



Xumber Percent 



327 35. 8 



450 49. 3 



81 8.9 



30 3.3 



13 1.4 



Xumber 



7 

 3 

 2 



Percent 



0.8 

 . 3 

 . 2 



