60 



object of this was to allow the escape of surplus moisture from the 

 iikins by evaporation and thus to render them toug-her and less liable 

 to injury. Lately, experim.ients have been made which tend to show 

 that it is not necessary to cure the fruit for so long' a time. Two days 

 are recognized as ample, and there are instances of fruit being picked, 

 packed, and shipped the same day which has arrived on the other side 

 in perfect order. It is certainly better to under than to over do the 

 curing process. 



Sorting. 



As has been stated, the bulk of our oranges exported, so far, has 

 consisted of two classes — Washington Navels and seedlings. Naturally 

 the outside of the boxes is branded with the size and variety of the 

 contents ; thus there would appear to be but two classes of orange 

 leaving our shores. Whilst this is really perfectly correct, each of 

 these classes is capable of considerable sub-division. There are several 

 types of navels and a very multitudinous assortment of seedlings. 

 Efforts were made in the Transvaal in 1907 to classify these to some 

 extent, and therefore the different grades were exported under the 

 designations of "standard," "choice," and "fancy."' It is by no 

 means certain that this effort was a success, for it was found that 

 "standards" oftentimes fetched more than "choice"; possibly the 

 sorting- was at fault. 



It is the writer's opinion that the marking of the boxes with the 

 names of the varieties they contain is sufficient for our needs at the 

 present and, perhaps, for some time to come. 



The tendency amongst buyers of citrus fruits is to purchase that 

 which they see and prove to be good ; therefore, if good fruit only goes 

 forward the sorting for quality and varieties is but a secondary 

 consideration. Sorting for the removal of blemished fruit, however, 

 is another matter, and this should be done both as it passes through 

 the sizing machine, commonly called the grader, and as it is wrapped 

 prior to being placed in the boxes. 



Grading for Size. 



This is one of the most important of all the details which go to 

 make up a perfectly packed box of fruit. Unless oranges are perfectly 

 graded for size they do not pack properly. On the other hand, when 

 sizing has been carefully and well done, the packing of the standard 

 box of oranges is simplicity itself. It is not possible to grade oranges 

 perfectly by hand and eye. Recourse must, therefore, be had to some 

 kind of machine which will attend to the work in a manner mechani- 

 cally perfect. There are a few of these on the market in South Africa 

 now which perform the operation in a satisfactory manner, and 

 information can be obtained as to these on application to the Chief, 

 Horticultural Division, Agricultural Department, Pretoria. 



It is, however, quite possible for the farmer to make his own 

 grader, which should dO' all that is required of it in a small way for, 

 perhaps, the first year's export, but a good grading machine is a 

 guarantee that the fruit is correct as to size, and it pays to invest in 

 the best article procurable. The accompanying illustrations show the 

 class of machine which is now obtainable in South Africa, 



