THIRTY-FOURTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION, 



65 



THE KEEPING QUALITY OF FLORIDA ORANGES. 



The most striking effect of the method of handling the orange, in rela- 

 tion to its keeping quality, has been brought out in the investigation of 

 Florida oranges by the Bureau of Plant Industry in 1908. The Florida 

 orange has a thin skin and is easily bruised. The climate is warm and 

 moist, making ideal conditions for the growth of the decay fungus. 

 The labor conditions and the conditions surrounding the culture and 

 marketing of Florida oranges are such that the fruit is subjected to 

 rough handling. The packing house equipment is of the crudest type, 

 and is one of the principal causes of the mechanical injury of the fruit. 



Many of the growers and shippers of Florida, in common with those 

 of California, have been convinced that it is natural for oranges to rot ; 

 that the decay is apparently one of the penalties that is inflicted on 

 those who engage in the citrus fruit business. Many of them, in com- 

 mon with growers and shippers in California, have attributed the decay 

 to the influence of the soil, of the fertilizer, of the location of the groves, 

 or the section of the State in which the fruit is grown, while most of 

 them believed that the conditions surrounding the fruit while in transit 

 to market contributed largely to the decay. 



It would not be safe to say that some weight should not be given to 

 these explanations, as the investigation of the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 has not extended beyond two seasons. The Florida oi-ange, however, is 

 acting in a manner similar to the California orange when it is handled 

 in a similar manner. The following data show the average decay in a 

 large number of shipments from different parts of the State to Wash- 

 ington, D. C, and after the fruit had been held in the market for 

 different lengths of time. There were included in the shipment 

 (1) oranges that were picked with groat care, and were packed without 

 being run through the packing-house machinery; (2) similar oranges 

 that were run through the packing-house machinery; (3) oranges 

 handled under regular commercial conditions from the same groves; 

 and (4) oranges containing clipper cuts, stem punctures, and other 

 types of injury: 



Time of Inspection. 



Character of Oranges Shipped. 



On arrival 

 in market. 



After 

 1 week. 



After 

 2 weeks. 





Per Cent. 



Per Cent. 



Per Cent. 



Carefully handled, not packed through machinery-. 



0.4 



1.9 



4.5 



Carefully handled, packed through machinery . 



1.5 



5.4 



12.4 



Oranges picked and packed under commercial con- 









ditions 



3.9 



10.6 



18.1 



Mechanically injured 



20.2 



38.0 



52.4 



These data from another orange-producing region indicate that the 

 natural keeping quality of the fruit must not be injured in handling, if 

 the orange is to have good shipping and keeping quality. An orange 



5 FGC 



