32 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
TABLE I. 
NUMBER OF DAYS EACH MONTH, FROM NOVEMBER 1 ST TO MARCH 31 ST, ON 
WHICH THERE WAS A RAINFALL OF O. I INCH OR MORE. 
MIAMI, 
, FLA., 
SEASON 
'98 
’99 
’00 
’01 
’02 
'03 
’99 
’00 
’01 
.02 
’03 
’04 
November - 
2 
3 
t— 
— 
5 
3 
December- 
3 
5 
— 
3 
1 
O 
January 
6 
6 
— 
0 
7 
2 
February 
4 
4 
O 
2 
4 
2 
March _ 
3 
6 
3 
0 
7 
4 
Totals - 
18 
24 
3 a 
3 b 
24 
I I 
(a). February and March only. (b). 
ber of days per month with one-tenth 
4.4. 
1898-19] 
3 - 
’04 
'05 
’06 
’07 
'08 
’09 
'10 
’ll 
’12 
’05 
’06 
’07 
’08 
'09 
’10 
’ll 
’12 
'13 
8 
9 
5 
7 
3 
I 
1 
18 
7 
2 
7 
0 
4 
3 
I 
1 
II 
7 
2 
7 
2 
8 
9 
3 
2 
l 6 
II 
2 
6 
1 
3 
0 
1 
0 
6 
7 
3 
5 
2 
4 
3 
2 
4 
11 
14 
17 
34 
10 
26 
18 
8 
8 
62 
46 
November not included. Average num- 
inch or more rainfall for above period. 
We may speak of weather conditions, 
and the fact that blue mold spores are 
always present in the atmosphere, as 
causes of decay, but the extent to which 
these factors can be controlled is limited. 
Fortunately, however, there is one pre¬ 
ventable cause, which, in so far as the 
grower and shipper of citrus fruit are 
concerned, is the primary cause. This is 
the injury done to the fruit in the hand¬ 
ling operations from the tree to the car. 
Blue mold has not the power to pene¬ 
trate the sound , healthy skin of citrus 
fruit. This fundamental fact has been 
stated and demonstrated many times, but 
it needs to be repeated until -it is part of 
the creed of every man engaged in hand¬ 
ling the fruit. Conversely, injured fruit 
is almost certain to develop blue mold 
under high temperature and moisture 
conditions. 
The wonderful improvement in pack¬ 
ing house equipment and handling meth¬ 
ods during the past three or four years 
has eliminated to a large extent the inju¬ 
ry formerly done by crude and antique 
machinery. Improvement in field handling 
has also been great, but it is a fact, nev¬ 
ertheless, that it has not kept pace with 
that in the packing house, and in some 
instances has been so poor as to entirely 
nullify any benefits that might be expect¬ 
ed from improved and expensive house 
equipment. The very best equipment and 
management can not prevent the decay of 
fruit already injured in the field, and it 
is in the field, I think, that most of the 
trouble during the season just past had 
its origin. 
I regret very much that I have not 
available the data on field handling which 
Mr. Ramsey obtained this year. How¬ 
ever, these figures show surprisingly 
poor work, even among the picking 
crews of the most up-to-date houses. In 
some cases the percentage of injury and 
