THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January 14, 1905. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



PICKING AND MARKETING ORANGES. 



The fiiUdwiiig (lirectiiins witli rogard to picking 

 oranges iiiid jiri'paring them for market arc taken from 

 Bulletin No. 4 of the Porto Rico Agricnitnral Experi- 

 ment Station, to which reference was made in the 

 A(jrirtdfunil Xros (Vol. Ill, p. 404): — 



The fniit should never be [lulled off, l.mt should he 

 separated from tlie branch by elip|iirig the stem about 

 -J- inch above the fruit, 'i"he picked fruit should never 

 lie droiipcd to the ground, liut gathered in a sack or 

 flothdined basket carried by the jiicker, and should 

 then be emptied into shallow boxes or baskets. The fruit 

 should always be handled as carefully as possible, remember- 

 ing that every bruise may cause decay. 



The appearance of the fruit when ready to pick will 

 vary with each variety. It may be said, however, always 

 pick before fully coloured up, but never so early that the 

 fruit Avill not ri|ien e/i route, as a green orange will never 

 sell well, regardless of other qualities. 



Picking should never be done on a rainy day niir in the 

 morning before the dew has dried. The fruit .should always 

 be 'cured ' (that i.s, the surplus water in the rind should be 

 allowed to evaporate), which may be done by storing in 

 a well-ventilated house. The ideal way for this drying 

 would be to s|iread the fruit out on shelves or on the floor 

 so as to facilitate evaporation. That, however, is ]iot 

 practicable, as it necessitates extra handling, -which will 

 brui.se the fruit more or le.ss, as well as incix-ase the amount 

 ■of work. The boxes or baskets containing the fruit may be 

 removed from the field and stored in such a manner as to 

 leave amjile room for ventilation. If the surroumling air is 

 fairly dry, two or three days will usually be sufficient for 

 curing ; otherwise, more time may be required. 



Every variety of fruit should be ke|it separate, r^eediing 

 trees should be graded according to the quality of fruit and 

 given a number or mark. All the trees bearing fruit of the 

 .same quality should receive the same mark. The fruit from 

 trees with different marks should be kept separate through 

 the subse(pient processes, and may then be packed like 

 distinct varieties. 



Oranges should be (lacked in boxes of standard size. 

 The ones used in Florida are \'2h by \'1\ by 27 inches, outside 

 measure, with a jiartition in the middle. The packer sliould 

 carefully examine every fruit and discard any that is in the 

 least bruised, discoloured, or deformed. The fruit .should 

 then be wrapped in tissue paper, which is sold especially for 

 that purpose, and carefully packed in layers. The top liycr 

 should project about '-^ inch above the sides of the box, which 



will make the packing solid after the cover is nailed on tnider 

 pressure. Every box shoidd be stencilled on the end, stating 

 the number of fruit, the guide or variety, and, if possible, the 

 1 lacker's name and address. 



BANANAS IN HAWAII. 



A paper by Mr. J. E. Higgins, Hortirulturi.st, 

 dealing with the banana in H.iwaii, is ]iublished 

 as Bulletin No. 7 of the Hawaii Agricultural Experi- 

 ment .Station. The writer acknowledges assi.'stance 

 obtained from the paper bv the Hon. Wni. Fawoett 

 (lies/ liididii Bulh'f'ni, \'ol. Ill, pp. 1.5.S-7) dealing 

 especially with methods of cidtivation. 



Mr. Higgins' paper deals full}' with the culture, 

 diseases, insect enemies, etc., of the banana, and 

 concludes with a botanical account of the banana 

 containing information drawn largely from an article 

 in the ^Kcw BuUdiii. 1894, ']ip. 22!)-:n4. The 

 f(j|lowing notes on varieties, moi'e especially those 

 of a peculiar habit of growth, are of interest: — • 



J/iiiiitici' rc/vV'^y.^Introdticcd [into Hawaii] early in 

 1903, by yU: I'hilip Peek, of Hilo, and again by the 

 ]!oard of Agriculture and Forestry at the close of the same 

 year. It has received many names from the places where it 

 has been grown. It is the chief banana of the American 

 trade ; excellent for shipping, fine in aiqiearance, of fair 

 flavour, with fruits well placed on the bunch for convenient 

 handling. The plants are large. This is the banana for the 

 uiillions. 



Ji'/raliora hniiami. — This is Musa Fehi, which is common 

 in the forests of Tahiti, and was probably brought to Hawaii 

 from ])Oraljora., a.n island of the same group. The peculiarity 

 of this variety is that the scape or stem of the bunch stands 

 erect, holding the bunch straight U)! instead of hanging over 

 as most bananas. The fruit is oblong, nearly straight, 

 sessile, and of fair quality wdien cooked. 



llua Jf(i(t (Hen's Egg). — The jilant is of medium 

 height, the petioles long and .slender. There are rather 

 more leaves in the rosette than most other varieties have. 

 The scape is ver^' slender. The fruit is nearly as great in 

 diameter as in length. There are often only two or three 

 fruits per bunch. It is of very superior flavour. 



Jfaia Hua .<!/«'(.— Sometimes called ' MaUoe.' The 

 ])eculiarity of this variety is that it produces two bunches of 

 fruit from the same stem. 



Mala llapit!. — This is one of the most curious forms in 

 the islands ; probably Subang or Eel plantain of Java. It 

 ripens its fruit within the stem. 



