GATHERING AND PACKING. 131 



A far more sensible plan of curing oranges and lemons 

 is that adopted by the more progressive growers. Around 

 the walls of a well-ventilated room or house shelves should 

 be made, as deep as one's arm can conveniently reach 

 across, the first shelf about two feet from the floor, and 

 the others about one foot apart. These shelves should be 

 composed of narrow slats two inches apart, their edges 

 carefully rounded off to avoid bruising the fruit, and one 

 of the slats placed on edge at the front to prevent the fruit 

 from rolling off. When different varieties are to be gath- 

 ered, separate shelves should be set apart for each kind, 

 the name being placed in a conspicuous position, that there 

 may be no mistakes made. 



The oranges should be gathered on a clear, dry day, after 

 the dew has dried off of them, and arranged carefully on 

 the shelves, one tier deep only, and not pressing against 

 each other. Here they remain from four to six days, or 

 longer if desired ; when the skin feels dry and firm they 

 are ready for sorting and packing. 



No one who has ever tried the drying process as above, 

 will any longer feel a doubt as to its infinite superiority 

 over the old method of "sweating." 



The last method toughens the skin by evaporating, in a 

 quiet, natural way, the watery fluid. 



The sweating causes a heating, fermenting action, to- 

 tally opposed to nature, that expands the cells of the 

 skin and at once starts a decay, which very often does 

 not appear outwardly until the orange is many miles on 

 its way to market, and thus the fruit arrives in bad con- 

 dition, very likely does not even pay expenses, and then 

 the grower tears his hair, and more than half the time 

 blames the transportation companies (who have sins 

 enough of their own to carry) for what is entirely due 

 to his own ill-advised treatment of his luscious fruit. 



