36 COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



the clipped fruit, as these would puncture other fruit in 

 the same box. As Powell proved by a careful study /^ any 

 abrasion of the skin invites attacks by different kinds of 

 fungi, and probably the abraded fruit will never reach the 

 market. Immense losses used to be ascribable to careless 

 handling, and now the constant injunction both in the field 

 and packing house is to "handle the fruit like eggs." As 

 the fruit is severed it is placed in a canvas picking sack 

 which is slung from the shoulder. From the picking sack 

 it is transferred to the picking or lug boxes, and in these 

 it is conveyed to the packing house on well sprung trucks 

 which minimize bruises from jarring. Heavy canvases 

 protect the fruit from the sun on the journey from grove 

 to padcing house, the journey in few cases being longer 

 than four miles. 



At the packing house, which is alongside a railroad, the 

 more detailed work of preparing the fruit for shipment is 

 b^un. It is only necessary to give a very general descrip- 

 tion of this stage. After being received the fruit is brushed 

 or washed according to its condition, and is then graded 

 by hand into "fancy," "choice" and "standard" grades. 

 There are many other grading classifications, but this is 

 representative. Grading is based on form, weight, texture 

 and color, but, with the exception of the extremely large 

 and extremely small fruits, it is not based on size. When 

 graded, the fruit is automatically weighed and sized and 

 is then ready to be packed unless further complications 

 enter. Some oranges and lemons are treated to a process 

 called "sweating" in order to bring out the color. This 

 is done by placing the fruit in the "sweat room" and sub- 

 jecting it to a constant temperature of 95 to 100 degrees 



12 Powell : "The Decay of Oranges While in Transit from Cali- 

 fornia," U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 Bulletin No. 133. 



