1482 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



green, the time of picking being governed 

 by the size attained by the fruit. After 

 picking it requires from one to several 

 weeks to cure them properly for market. 

 This is usually done m specially con- 

 structed houses, in tents, or in banks. 



Washing 



Citrus fruit grown on a tree free from 

 disease and insect attack is usually in 

 the most perfect condition possible. Its 

 appearance can not be improved by wash- 

 ing or other mechanical process But a 

 very large proportion is not grown under 

 such conditions. Russet fruit is not im- 

 proved in appearance by washing or scour- 

 ing, but fruit affected by sooty mold 

 should be put through a washer. Sooty 

 mold is a black fungus (Meliola, various 

 species) that grows in honey dew, usually 

 excreted by some insect. An insect that 

 frequently produces the honey dew is 

 the white fly {Aleyrodes ciin). Sooty 

 mold very frequently follows an attack 

 of the soft scale {Lecanmm sp.), but this 

 insect is usually very limited in distribu- 

 tion as compared with the white fly The 

 coloration of sooty mold being due to a 

 fungous growth on the surface of the 

 fruit, it becomes necessary to use some 

 mechanical means for removing it. Vari- 

 ous machines have been invented for ac- 

 complishing this purpose. One in very 

 general use has a series of brushes, slight- 

 ly larger than scrubbing brushes, ar- 

 ranged on a chain belt. The fruit is re- 

 ceived in single file down a chute, at the 

 bottom of which is water in which the 

 fruit is washed. The water and the 

 brushes cause a very decided improvement 

 in the color of the fruit. 



Another form of cleaner is constructed 

 from a cylinder about two feet in diam- 

 eter and about four feet long. An axle in 

 the form of a gas pipe is run through the 

 axis of the cylinder, a crank is attached 

 to this, and the cylinder is then mounted 

 on a frame so that it can be revolved by 

 hand. The inside of the cylinder is care- 

 fully padded with canvas. Fruit is placed 

 within the cylinder until it is about three- 

 fourths full, the remaining space is then 

 filled with wet sawdust. By revolving the 

 cylinder the wet sawdust wears off the 



sooty mold very quickly. When the fruit 

 has been cleaned it is turned out and 

 dried and is ready to be packed. The 

 sawdust used for this work must be as 

 soft as possible and must be sifted to free 

 it from any large particles that might 

 scratch the rind of the fruit. 



Sorting 



After the fruit has been graded, it is 

 run through a machine which separates it 

 accoi^ding to size. Various kinds of ap- 

 paratus are constructed for this work. 

 One of the simplest is that made in the 

 shape of a hopper with a chute running 

 from it. This chute gradually increases 

 in size, so that the fruits as they roll 

 down drop into secondary chutes, which 

 carry them into the field boxes from 

 which they are taken to be wrapped. 

 Lemons are usually picked when they 

 have reached the desired size, which rend- 

 ers sorting for size unnecessary. 



Another machine makes a very satis- 

 factory apparatus for sorting both 

 oranges and pomelos. It is run by a 

 treadle. The fruit is poured into the 

 broad chute and is allowed to run into 

 two grooves. On the sides of these 

 grooves, or runways, are long, thin 

 cylinders provided with spirals. The run- 

 ways as they pass away from the hopper 

 widen, which permits the fruit to fall 

 through when the proper width is reach- 

 ed. The cylinders provided with spirals 

 revolve so as to carry the fruit forward. 

 On each side and in front are compart- 

 ments for receiving fruit of each size. 



Wrapping 



The usual way of wrapping is by hand. 

 This has been superseded in the larger 

 packing houses by machines. The taste 

 and care displayed in preparing the wrap- 

 ping paper have frequently yielded good 

 returns. In the large establishments 

 wrapping paper having a suitable adver- 

 tisement upon it, and often with a mon- 

 ogram or some other pleasing design, is 

 used. 



Packing 



The packing may be done either by 

 hand or by machinery. The greater quan- 

 tity is packed by hand. The number of 



