Precooling and Handling Investigations 
WITH ORANGES AND LETTUCE, FLORIDA, SEASON 1913-14- 
H. J. Ramsey. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
The Bureau of Plant Industry of the 
United States Department of Agriculture 
has been conducting extensive investiga¬ 
tions during the past six seasons in 
Florida relative to the relation of hand¬ 
ling methods to decay of oranges in tran¬ 
sit and on the market. The results of 
these investigations published recently in 
Department Bulletin 63 clearly demon¬ 
strates that the decay occurring in tran¬ 
sit and at the market end is due largely 
to rough and careless methods of hand¬ 
ling. These results have been corrobo¬ 
rated in commercial practice and you 
have all about you in the citrus sections 
of this state clear-cut demonstrations of 
the practical application of the funda¬ 
mental principles developed in these in¬ 
vestigations. The results of the expeii- 
mental handling and shipping and the re¬ 
sults obtained in the various packing 
houses in this state clearly demonstrate 
that if a fruit is. handled with sufficient 
care it can be delivered on the rnaiket in 
practically sound condition. 
There are, however, two factors which 
make it extremely difficult to* continu¬ 
ously and under all conditions delivei 
oranges on the market in absolutely sound 
condition, and to have them remain sound 
for a reasonable time after arrival on the 
market. Under commercial conditions it 
is almost physically impossible to handle 
fruit with a sufficient amount of care to 
avoid inflicting injuries of some sort. 
High winds oftentimes are the cause of 
nluch fruit being thorn punctured on the 
trees, and it is impossible to grade out 
all such injuries in the packing house. If 
the weather following such winds is moist 
and rainy, there is certain to occur con¬ 
siderable decay, both in transit and on 
the market, which cannot entirely be 
avoided by the most careful methods of 
handling. Another factor which enters 
into the problem of delivering the fruit in 
sound condition is the stem-end rot more 
or less prevalent in most sections of the 
state. Decay of this kind cannot be con¬ 
trolled through careful handling methods. 
Many of the leading growers and the 
industry as a whole have for some time 
felt that the blue mold decay, due to 
injuries more or less unavoidable in the 
most careful commercial handling, and 
the stem-end decay, which, during certain 
seasons or portions of a season may be 
very serious, could be held in check or 
largely prevented through the utilization 
of refrigeration or precooling. They ac¬ 
cordingly requested the Department to 
extend the handling work to include pre¬ 
cooling investigations with oranges. The 
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