FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
31 
will also be taken up to some extent, and 
it is quite probable that the work will 
include careful experiments on the desi¬ 
rability of pre-cooling pineapples. 
BLUE MOLD DECAY OF FLORIDA ORANGES 
DURING I912-I913. 
Though the experimental work on or¬ 
ange handling was concluded a year ago, 
the excessive decay in Florida oranges 
this season makes a brief review of the 
situation not out of place. Before taking 
up the question of grapefruit storage 
therefore, I wish to devote a few minutes 
to a discussion of the conditions which 
seem, in the light of the experimental 
work of past seasons, to be responsible 
for the trouble. No extensive experi¬ 
ments have been made with this season’s 
fruit, but a year ago, as you remember, 
there was a similar period of high decay 
lasting for about eight weeks. Several 
experimental shipments, including both 
carefully and commercially handled or¬ 
anges, were made at that time. This year 
Mr. Ramsey made a trip to Florida about 
February 1st at the request of the Flor¬ 
ida Citrus Exchange, and visited several 
of the orange growing sections. From 
Mr. Ramsey’s observations and from ex¬ 
periments covering the six previous sea¬ 
sons, the only conclusion that seems pos¬ 
sible is that the decay must be due to han¬ 
dling methods and to weather conditions 
ideal for the development of the blue 
mold fungus. 
This has been an unusual season in so 
far as weather conditions are concerned. 
It has been unusual also in that Florida 
has shipped the largest crop of oranges 
and grapefruit in the history of the State. 
To the combination of these two factors 
the high percentage of blue mold decay 
can be directly traced. There was, first, 
an unusually large crop, which meant 
crowding the packing houses beyond 
their capacity, and which consequently re¬ 
sulted in a let-down in care in both field 
handling and packing house operations, 
followed by a high percentage of injury 
to the fruit; secondly, temperature and 
humidity throughout the greater part of 
the shipping season were relatively high. 
One factor furnished the soil blue mold 
spores require, and the other the most 
favorable conditions for their germina¬ 
tion and development. The decay that 
followed will appear again every time the 
same conditions arise. 
Just how unfavorable the weather con¬ 
ditions were during the shipping season 
can be plainly seen from the accompany¬ 
ing table. The data given are for the 
section around Miami, but they are an 
indication, at least, of what the condi¬ 
tions were in other parts of the State. 
