Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-07
VALUED REPORT
BY POMOLOC|STS
GOVERNMENT EXPERTS INVES-
TIGATE DECAYING FRUIT
Figures and Suggestions of Interest to
Orange and Lemon Growers in
Southern CaIifornia-Gen-
eraI Summary

Three months devoted to thorough
investigation of the decay in Californi;
oranges by expert pomologistS con
nected with the bureau of plant in
dustry of the United States depart
ment of agriculture give figures arr
facts interesting and beneficial to frui
| growers generally.
The investigation was made by G
Harold Powell, chief pomologist, as
sisted by VIM. A. Taylor, A. V. Stuben'
rauch, L. S. Tenny, H. j. Eustace, S
]. Dennis G.. w. Hosford and H. M
| White, the work of the experts having
been carried on in about thirty pack.
! ing houses in the principal parts OF
! the citrus fruit belt of Southern Cali
fornia.
The investigation has been made OF
the decay of unbrushed and in brushed
fruit free from visible mechanical in-
juries, in apparently sound fruit
washed in clean fater. in fruit washed
in dirty water infected with blue mold
spores and in fruit with each orange
injured by the clippers, by stem
puncture or by some other type of
visible abrasion. The fruit had been
held packed two weeks in the packing
house and had not been shipped.
The experts submit data with the
following general result:
Decay in fruit in packing house tests
Sound fruit, rnhrushed. 2.5 per cent;
sound fruit, brushed, 6.2 per cent;
sound fruit, washed in clean water. 4
per cent; sound fruit, washed in dirty
water, 17.S per cent; mechanically in
jured fruit, 37.4 per cent.
Decay in fruit in different sections
Upper San Bernardino valley I'm
brushed, per cent; brushed, per cent;
washed in clean water, At per cent;
mechanically injured SO per cent; in
coast region, unbrushed, 3.2 per cent:
brushed, 9.3 per cent; washed in clean
water, 5.4 per cent; mechanically in
jured, so per cent.
1t is noted in the report that the
fruit which is handled the least de-
veloped the least decay. An orange
with an unbroken skin in healthy con-
dition and not overripe is practically
immune to decay.
Percentage of decay in fruit in transit
from one to seven days is given, under
ventilation. icing and preceding, the
least decay being registered under the
preceding system.
Summary of Results
BY averaging the shipments of the
season from February to June, includ-
ing all methods of shipment and all
result is submitted:
Summary of decay in all methods of
February to June;
Approximate delay in shipping or in
(0' 5 Av.
apparently
sound fruit, per cent. OF 37 81 s.5
Washed, apparently
sound fruit, per cent. IA S3 So SO
Commercially packed
fruit, per Cent?. 80 60 9.S 6.3
injured
fruit, per cent. 7.2 1870 $50 16.1
Average, per cent. 81 TT 11.3
The pomologists say in conclusion:
'The groves should be kept free from
scale and in good condition, in order
to avoid the necessity of washing the
fruit; the picking, the hauling and the
packing house operations should be of
such a character as to preserve the
natural immunity of the orange rather
han to make it susceptible to rot by
cough mechanical handling 1t is
equally important to ship the fruit
quickly after picking and packing at
he lowest practical temperature. There
las been an improvement in the meth
DDS of handling the orange in the last
few years, but the amount of injury
that occurs in handling the fruit in
many SlONSS anu packing houses IS
still excessive. Citrus fruits are prob
ably handled better than any other
arge fruit crop in the United States.
No other fruit crop is handled with
such a degree of skill and economy,
but at the same time it should he
that it is false economy TO
reduce the cost of the various handling
operations to a point that makes a
proper handling of the fruit impos-
sible. To overcome the losses from
1ecay in transit is a business matter
'elated to the methods of organizing
he citrus fruit business, to the sys-
ems of labor hiring, the methods of
picking and hauling the fruit, the sys-
.em Of packing house management and
he methods and efficiency of trans
A system of organization.
If labor handling or of packing house
that makes the quantity
'ather than the quality and uniformity
IF the work the leading considerable
s detrimental to the shipping quality
of the fruit. No other fruits in the
United States have better natural
shipping and keeping qualities than the