10 BULLETIN 1159, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 
The next lot of oranges was placed in the coloring room on October 
25. This lot was treated five days under the same conditions as the 
lot just described. The temperature averaged somewhat lower, rang- 
ing between 70° and 75° F., while the humidity was kept at about 
85 per cent. This lot of fruit was rougher and thicker skinned than 
the last lot, but averaged about 25 per cent yellow color. At the 
end of five days the color was about 90 per cent developed, but after 
two more days without any gas it was fully developed. The solids- 
acid tests before and at the close of the experiment are shown in_ 
Table 11. 
TABLE 11.—Change in the solids-acid ratio in the second lot of oranges colored 
by the engine exhaust. 
Date, | cig. | Soluble | Solids- 
Time of observation. 1920. solids. acid ratio. 
f Per cent. | Per cent. 
Before coloring = 15392 8.222.-5 SS ee i Ee Y.|2Oct.3.25 1.16 9.61 8.3 
Athoraalnein gs. 22 20. gortt.. net dos at aa geeks «pee ie | Oct. 29 | 1.16 | 9.97 8.6 
The first house constructed for commercial coloring was of a maxi- 
mum carload capacity, holding from 350 to 400 field boxes. It was 
papered with single-ply felt roofing and boarded and battened out- 
side; also papered with red rosin-sized building paper and boarded 
on the inside of the studding, leaving an air space between. There 
were also double doors with a 4-inch air space between. The roof 
yas covered with ordinary 2-ply roofing felt. The inside dimensions 
of the room were 20 by 20 by 6 feet to the plate. The floor was of 
material 6 inches wide laid with half-inch interspaces. The building 
stood on a concrete foundation about 3 feet high. A door through 
the foundation allowed entrance to the space below. The first lot of 
fruit was started in this house on November 7 and consisted of 400 
field boxes of about 100 pounds each. A 1-horsepower engine was 
installed just outside this house, with the exhaust pipe extending 
through the foundation to the center of the space beneath the floor. 
The humidifier was set up just inside the building and operated by 
the engine. 
The fruit was about 25 per cent yellow colored when picked and 
was the second picking from the grove. The oranges, therefore, 
were not as thin skinned or of as fine texture as those of the earlier 
picking, but were of a very good quality. The engine was run for 
10 hours each day for four days, and an average humidity of 90 
per cent and a temperature of 72° F. were maintained during that 
time. At the end of four days the fruit was fully colored, the stems 
remained green and tight, and the flavor was excellent. There 
yas practically no shrinkage. It was also noted that the texture 
of the oranges was much improved, and they had a velvety feel not 
found in the fruit colored on the trees. This lot was packed in 
marked boxes and shipped to Chicago in two mixed cars with fruit 
colored on the trees. The processed fruit arrived on the market in 
good condition and was as desirable and sold as well as the oranges 
colored on the tree. 
The results of the solids-acid tests made at the beginning and at 
the end of the experiment are shown in Table 12. 
do were Cae) eS 
be ie Rio) Rha Oe CAP ke 
Ns 
oe 
ee ee eee 
