58 



How TO GO ABOUT ExPOKTING. 



There are so many little details in connection with the actual 

 handling of the orange for export which should be observed that it 

 is proposed to set them all forth in hopes that the careful shipper at 

 least will give them the attention they deserve. 



Picking the Fruit. 



Picking is really not the right word, because in no case should 

 an orange intended for export or, indeed, any iaarketable purpose, be 

 removed from the trees by any other means than " cutting." In 

 order to do this properly, and with the least possible chance of 

 injuring the fruit in the operation, a special clipper is made for the 

 purpose, as shown in the illustration. It will be noticed that the 

 points of the blade are rounded, so that the lisk of pricking the fruit 

 is reduced to a minimum. These clippers are now stocked in all our 

 large towns, are easily obtained, and not expensive. The stem of the 

 orange is first severed, perhaps an inch or two away from the fruit; 

 then a second cut should be made removing the entire stem with the 

 exception of the extreme end by which it is attached to the orange. 

 The removal of the stem close to the fruit is of much impotiance, 

 because when it is left half to three-quarters of an inch long it is 

 a constant menace to other fruits with which it may come in contact. 

 The Trades Commissioner in his reports has frequently mentioned 

 how much damage has been done to oranges in this manner, the stems 

 left having punctured the skin of the adjacent fruit and thus afforded 

 an opening for the Fenicillium digitatuvi or blue nrold. 



Pickers should be made tO' understand that their work must be 

 done carefully ; their finger, nails should be trimmetl so that there may 

 be no danger of 'even the slightest puncture of the skin from that 

 source or, better still, cotton gloves can be worn. In this country, 

 where so much coloured labour is used, it is imperative that some 

 responsible person should be placed in charge of the picking gang, 

 and it should be his duty to watch each man at his work and see 

 that it is done as it should be. The fruit should be picked with the 

 idea of giving as little work in sorting for blemishes afterwards as 

 possible ; to that end no fruit with any kind of blemish should be 

 picked fox export. That which is picked should be ripe, but not over- 

 ripe. It is quite useless to pick green oranges with the idea that they 

 will " colour \ip " in transit; «ven if this were the case, which it is 

 not, fruit picked in a green condition does not open up sweet at its 

 journey's end. Pickers should carry bags slung round the neck into 

 which to place tbe fruit when picked. There are many devices for 

 making it possible to employ the bag without removing it from the 

 neck. Tin buckets and somietimes baskets are used instead of bags, 

 and these appear preferable, as the fruit is less subjected to friction 

 than when placed in a bag. In all cases the receptacle is emptied by 

 allowing the fruit to escape by means of an aperture at the bottom 

 which is kept closed during the time picking is going on. 



The oranges should be carefully emptied into '"picking boxes" 

 placed in the shade of the trees to receive them. Every orange grower 

 should have a supply of such boxes ; they should be as near the 

 standard size as possible, but made without middle partition and with 

 sides of half-inch wood and ends of one inch. Five of these boxes 



