88 

 a slight twistihg bend to cause the stem to snap off a half 

 -Inch or so below thf, fruit. If the stem he "broken off too 

 near to the fruit it is apt to rot in transit, and if the stem 

 is broken too long it has to be broken again at the shed at a 

 loss of considerable time. In gathering some of the fancy- 

 varieties the stems are cut several inches long, the fruit 

 taken to the packing house, and the stem cut off even with the 

 fruit. In some cases the cut ends of stems are covered with 

 paraffin wax to prevent, as much as possible, evaporation and 

 the loss of flavor. 



Grading and Packing. At the packing house the fruit is 

 sized, sorted and packed into barrels (12x20x36 in.) and half 

 barrel (12x10x36 in.) crates, usually in the latter, and 



designated as 18's, 24*s, 30's, 36's, 42's, 48's and 54's, 

 according to the number required for a half barrel crate. 

 In packing a crate the fruit must be pressed down firmly so it 

 will not shake in transit, and, on/the other hand, it must not 

 be squeezed down to the extent of' mashing or bruising. Each 

 fruit is wrapped separately in brown paper. In addition to 

 lessening the danger of breaking the skin the wrapping pro- 

 tects the fruits from wilting and from dust while being shipped 

 or carted. Pineapples sell largely upon their looks. 



Canning 



Canned pineapple has long been known as an article of 

 commerce. Large canneries use from 25,000 to 50,000 pine 

 apples per day. This means about 500 crates, or more than a 



