322 



THE AGRICULTURAL XEWS. 



October 10, 1914. 



FRUIT AND FRUIT TREES. 



THE PREPARATION OF ORANGES 



FOR MARKET. 



A Xote anil Comment in the Agrivultiiial Neti's for 

 March 1, 1913, pointed out the large degree of attention tliat 

 Las been given by agricultural authorities in South Africa to 

 matters connected with the shipment of citrus fruit. The 

 importance of standard boxes was strongly emphasized, and in 

 order to show the value of good packing, it was stated that 

 car<!ful .shippers during 1912 were getting 17«. 6rf. per box of 

 oranges, whilst careless ones obtained only 3s. 6rf. to 6s. 6rf. 

 per box. The chances of commercial loss in this direction 

 were it was pointed out, largely reduced by a system of Trade 

 Commissioners in London and a method of Ctovernment 

 inspection of fruit at the seaports of the l^nion. 



It now appears that Rhodesia is hastening to devote 

 attention to the same thing. In the Rhodesia Ajjricrdtural 

 Journal for August 1914, the Citrus Advisor to the British 

 South Africa Company, which is largely responsible for Rhode- 

 sian interests, calls attention to the. action on the part of the 

 Union oi South Africa briefly outlined above, and gives 

 information as to the best methods of preparing oranges for 

 market, confining these remarks not to the fruit of a highly 

 .selected kind known as 'kid glove' varieties, but to the 

 general average standard of fruit produced on the ordinary 

 estate. 



After discussing the time to gather fruit, the writer pro- 

 ceeds to describe the appliances required. The importance 

 of the careful use of clippers for gathering is indicated, and it 

 is pointed out that the calyx should be allowed to remain on 

 . the orange, for it is one of the hall marks of properly handled 

 -fruit. No protruding stul), however, nuist be left, or it will 

 ■puncture other fruits coming in contact with it. In connex- 

 don with picking baskets or bags, it is stated that a wicker 

 basket made flat on one side to fit against the back, and 

 padded inside to jjrevent the fruit getting bruised is the most 

 satisfactory receptacle. The gathered fruit is put into a 

 grove box next; the fruit must be taken out and put into the 

 groved box by hand and not poured out. No particular 

 pattern of box is necessary, but the boxes should Ije strong and 

 measure aViout 13 inches wide by 14 inches deep by 27 to 30 

 inches long. The pickers should be warned not to fill the 

 grove boxes so full that the fruit lies higher than the top of 

 the sides, so that they can be placed on a waggon one on 

 the other in tiers with'.iut injuring tlie top fruits while 

 carrying them from the grove to the packing liouse. Also, 

 when filled, they .should be moved to the sliade of trees 



■ while waiting to be loaded. 



Because the object of present day fruit grow-ers is to 

 cultivate low-headed wide-spreading trees, the importance of 

 ladders is not as great as it was. In fact every endeavour 

 should be made to employ ladders as little as possible 

 because they tend to cause injury to the trees. 



A simple matter which requires, however, careful atten- 

 tion is the curing of oranges. When oranges are first taken 

 from the tree, the cells on the rind are filled with water and 

 expanded to their full extent causing the rind to be brittle 

 and the cells easily broken. In this condition damage 

 during packing would be likely to occur, so to remove the 

 moisture from the i-ind the fruit is kejjt in grove bo.xes, 



■ which are stacked in tiers around the packing house and the 

 air permitted to circulate freely round and through them. 

 Eventually the rind becomes more tough and leathery and 

 reduced in thickness; in this condition it will stand pressure 



without brnising^or l^ursting. The length of time required 

 for Gtiring varies according to the humidity of the climate. 

 One danger attendant on the packing of damp fruit is the 

 likelihood that fungi and bacteria may set to work and 

 cause disease or fermentation. 



After curing is finished the fruit is graded. The perfect 

 specimens — tho.se without blemish, extra bright, smooth, thin- 

 skinned and of gorjd shape — may he packed sejjarately, and 

 markeil 'choice' or 'fancy,' but it is stated that unless the 

 percentage of jjci-fect specimens is fairly high it is best to 

 leave them with tlie mass, relying upon the higher price the 

 better appearance will counnand. The worlc of grading is 

 followeil by the operation of sizing. This is done liy passing 

 the fruit through a machine which mechanically places the 

 fruits of the various sizes into separate bins provided for the 

 imrposc. By a good sizer is meant one that will size fruit 

 (whether niund or oblong) accurately according to its 

 diameter, and whicli will jjass the oranges on freely, not 

 allowing them to stick and choke up any porticm of its 

 parts. It nuist not damage the fruit. It is noted in the 

 article under consideration that although grading and 

 sizing are here regarded as two separate operations they 

 are in actual practice accomplished at one and the same 

 time. That is, the boxes of fruit just as they come in origi- 

 nally from the grove are put inti.i the hopper on the sizer and 

 a man experienced in the work grades them, passing the 

 marketable fruits down the one run-way of the sizer and 

 inferior fruit down the other. Any fruit unfit for any grade 

 wliatever is thi-own into the box placed near him for the 

 purpose and this fruit is discarded altogether. 



It has already been shown that the Government of 

 South Africa have laid down regulations as to the size of the 

 orange boxes, and a necessity for standardization in Rhfxlesia 

 is pointed out in the article under review. The [Joints of 

 importance to be oViserved in making the boxes are that tlie 

 frames should Iw made accurate and the parts square with 

 each other or the l)oxes will lie crooked and the inside 

 unevenly divided, which will result in the packed box being 

 too tight or to loose. Instructive details are given in con- 

 nexion with the making of these boxes but space will not 

 permit reproducing the information here. Turning next to 

 the actual packing, it is stated that paper is required which 

 should be thin, strong and contain as little oil as possible to 

 enable it to absorb and throw ofl" moisture rapidly. The 

 jiaper can be jmrchased from dealers cut into squares ready 

 for use in standard sizes. To facilitate the removal of oranges 

 from the bins. into which they have rolled from the sizer, 

 a moveable stool is provided to enable the packer to reach 

 the fruit easily. Coming to the operation of packing itself, 

 detailed information again is given on this subject. 'If the 

 wraps have a design upon them they are placed in the paper- 

 holder with the design downward. With stool box and 

 paper holder placed in position the packer takes a wrap with 

 the tips of the fingers of the left hand allowing it to spread 

 out over his iialm; with the right hand he takes an (M-aiige 

 from the bin aiul puts it, blos.som end on, into the paper on 

 the jialm of his left hand and with the right gives the ends 

 a twist and places it in position in the box. The first two 

 layers of fruits are placed in the box with the twist of the 

 paper upwards; after they are placed with the twist down- 

 wards. This brings the fruit in proper position in case the 

 bottom of the box is opened by mistake in the market.' 



The manner oi placing the fruit in the box to suit the 

 nine ditt'erent packs and to fill the box exactly and tightly to 

 the proper level which is from i-to |-inch above the edge 

 of the box is; indicated in a diagram accompanying the 

 article which shows the arrangement of a layer of oranges of 

 different sizes in crates. 



