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CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



A carload of packed oranges varies some in number of boxes 

 in keeping with the size of the car. A 36-foot car will take 336 

 boxes, the 40-foot car 384, and the 42-foot 409. In lemons the 

 36-foot car will take 288 boxes, the 40-foot car 312, and the 42-foot 

 car 336. When packed the boxes are placed on end two tiers 

 high and six rows wide, with a space for ventilation between 

 each and every box, made feasible by nailing small strips of lum- 

 ber of sufficient strength crosswise of the car. 



In oranges the regular sizes are 126, 150, 176, 200, 216; small 

 "off-sizes" 250, 324, 360; large "off-sizes" 64, 80, 96, 112. The 

 relative value of the different sizes in the regular trade is given 

 by Mr. Powell, whose excellent publication on the marketing of 

 oranges is cited in the chapter on that fruit, in this way : "A 

 car of Washington Navel oranges may contain boxes of all sizes. 

 A car is called a "standard car" when it contains not more than 

 ten per cent of each of the following sizes: 96, 112, 250, and not 

 over twenty per cent of the 126 size. The remainder of the car 

 may be divided among the 150, 176, 200 and 216 sizes. If a car 

 is sold to a dealer at a fixed price per box it is usual to allow a 

 discount of 25 to 50 cents per box on the excess in the 96, 112, 

 126 and 250 sizes, and a discount of 50 cents per box on the 48, 

 64, 80, 288, 300, 324, 360 and 420 sizes. The rule concerning the 

 sizes in a standard car may vary with the season, with the sec- 

 tion and with the general size of the fruit taken as a whole. 

 When oranges of either the large or small sizes are scarce, they 

 are at a premium, and the proportion in a car may be raised with- 

 out discount. 



