40 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
of it was the oranges were perfectly 
sound. The thermometer was kept in the 
region of about 40 degrees, so the pro¬ 
prietor stated. 
I sold them in different lots, and One 
man to whom I had sold ten boxes at 
$4.50 a box, told me that they went down 
so rapidly you could almost see it. I did 
not guarantee the oranges, but there was 
so much complaint that I had to refund 
almost all the money I received for them. 
They wouldn’t stand any time at all. 
Those who took one, two or three boxes 
for immediate consumption, I did not 
hear anything from. I myself took three 
or four boxes, and we managed to eat 
them up, though a good many spoiled be¬ 
fore we could eat them all up. 
We all realize the benefit if we can ex¬ 
tend the time, as has been suggested. The 
only difficulty if they have been in cold 
storage—and they can be kept there in 
perfect condition—is to keep them from 
going down immediately after they are 
taken out. They will have to be put into 
a car of practically the same temperature 
and be used soon after their arrival at 
the market. At least, that was the result 
of my experience. You may have learn¬ 
ed something since then. This grapefruit 
looks as though it could be used. 
Mr. McKay: I think the gentleman 
who has just spoken has somewhat mis¬ 
understood. We do not propose to hold 
grapefruit under cold storage. That is 
an entirely different problem from what 
we are trying to get at. What we pro¬ 
pose to do is to maintain an even, cool 
temperature, possibly not lower than six¬ 
ty degrees. The grapefruit you see have 
been held at a temperature not much low¬ 
er than seventy degrees, and frequently 
as high as seventy-five. I think the line 
on the chart shows the temperature to 
have been as high as seventy-five and as 
low as sixty-three degrees. Our idea in 
using artificial cooling is to keep it as 
low as sixty -degrees. 
Dr. O. W. Sadler: I have been mak¬ 
ing a study of this moisture and decay 
and experimenting a little, 100. We have 
the white fly with us, and consequently 
have to wash the fruit. I don’t know 
how we can stop it, under present condi¬ 
tions. My observation in the few years 
past is that under the washing process, 
there has been no adequate means taken 
for drying the fruit after it has been 
washed. I have been in several packing 
houses this year where they were putting 
up as fine, clean fruit as could be, but 
so damp that it wet the paper it was 
wrapped in the weather being cold and 
damp. 
Mr. McKay made a remark that if 
the fruit is kept dry it will not develop 
blue mold. It is a demonstrated fact 
that blue mold will form only where 
there is moisture. If the fruit is packed 
when it is moist and shut up in a box 
tightly so that the moisture is retained, 
that moisture is going to stay there un¬ 
til the fruit is sold and opened up in the 
retail stores. In that way, we put our¬ 
selves in a condition inviting decay as 
perfectly as we can do it. 
We have had six years of experiments 
by experts in picking the fruit carefully, 
and we are supposed to be sensible enough 
to avail ourselves of the information 
