66 



THIRTY-FOURTH FRUIT-GROWERS^ COXVEXTIOX. 



that is handled in this manner brings the highest satisfaction to the 

 producer, the shipper, and to the consumer. An orange that is made 

 susceptible- to decay by poor picking or packing is unsatisfactory to the 

 producer or the shipper, as it may rot while in transit to market. Or. 

 if it reaches the market in apparently sound condition, and is likely 

 to rot afterwards, the dealer has to charge an excessive price as a pro- 

 tection against the loss of the orange that may rot before the fruit can 

 be sold. It is a fraud on the consumer to sell hun oranges that are 

 apparently sound, but which, as a result of the handling the fruit 

 received in the groves and packing houses, are likely to rot before they 

 can be used. 



There are few fruits that are naturally capable of entering more 

 vridely into commerce than the citrus fruits of California. It is a wise 

 policy, and in the broadest interest of the permanent prosperity of the 

 industry, that every effort be made by growers and shippers and by 

 their associations, and by -the transportation companies, to handle the 

 fruit with enough care so that it may be distributed to the most distant 

 markets of the world. It has been the aim of the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry to cooperate with the various interests connected with the 

 citrus fruit industry in working out the principles by which the prod- 

 ucts of the groves and orchards may be distributed in sound, whole- 

 some condition over the widest geographical areas. 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. We are now ready for the next paper. 

 It is by Mr. Rumsey. on Packing House Equipment." and wiU be 

 discussed by Mr. Dreher. Both gentlemen are here, and will give you 

 a lively three quarters of an hour. I now take pleasure in introducing 

 Mr. C. E. Rumsey of Riverside. 



MR. C. E. RUMSEY. I would like to preface my paper by saying 

 that if my own selfish profit was considered only when I took a packing 

 house, I would not be here to tell my competitors anything about it. 

 It was my interest in this trade as a whole, this magnificent industry, 

 the unnece-^sary losses that were occurring in it. that made me desire to 

 enter this work and find out for myself, and to prove what I believed 

 could be proved. 



PACKING HOUSE EQXHPMENT. 



By C. E. rumsey. of Riveeside. 



Having been drafted by the State Commission of Horticulture to 

 speak on ''Packing House Equipment" at- this Convention, I have 

 accepted the duty under protest. ]\Iy experience as a packing house 

 jnanager does not qualify me to tell men of long experience, and in 

 entirely different situations from my own. what they do or do not 

 need. I can, at least, open the subject and give some details from my 

 own experience. 



The most important item of equipment is not machinery, nor any 

 contrivance or device to hurry our perishable fruit from wagon to car. 

 I would place absolutely, first, a body of growers who would demand 

 from the packing house management that the fruit they had labored 



