72 



THE OEANGE; 



5— All fruit that is under-colored. 



6— All fruit that is too large. 



7— All fruit that is too small. 



For the second class he may put in all 

 fruit rejected from the first that is sound 

 and ripe, irrespectiye of size and color. 



Cleaning.— If the fruit is disfigured by 

 smut, this should be removed with a 

 brush before packing. 



The Grader. — An apparatus which 

 greatly facilitates the assorting of oranges 

 is known as the grader, an illustration of 

 ^vhic•h appears herewith: 



are in use: One, known as the California 

 box, is 8 inches wide, 19 inches high and 

 IV/2 inches long. The ends are a little 

 less than an inch thick and the sides and 

 bottom haK an inch. There are two boards 

 on each side, between which cracks of 

 half an inch to an inch are left for venti- 

 lation. 



Another, called the Eastern box, is 13 

 inches wide, 13 inches high and 26 inches 

 long, outside measurement. It is com- 

 posed of the same material as the other 

 box, but is divided into two compart- 

 ments, each of which measures 

 a cubic foot in the clear. Cracks 

 are also left for ventilation. The 

 Easternbox is now mostfa vored. 



THE GRADER. 



There is no standard orange grader. 

 The grader in use at Riverside consists of 

 a stand 38 inches by feet in surface di- 

 mensions. It is inclined from one end to 

 the other, the higher end standing 36 

 inches from the ground and the lower IS 

 inches. At the upper end there is a table 

 inclined somewhat, but not so much as 

 the rest of the apparatus; dimensions 38x33 

 inches. Below this there are two series of 

 slats running lengthwise, each 40 inches 

 long. These slats perform the office of a 

 riddle for the oranges in process of sort- 

 ing. The slats in the upper series are 2K 

 inches apart, and those in the lower series 

 3 inches apart. The fruit is first placed 

 upon the table and then allowed to roll 

 down the incline. The smallest fruit drops 

 between the slats of the first series. The 

 rest run over these slats and the next in 

 size fall between those of the second series. 

 The oranges that are too large for the last 

 slats (i. e., more than three inches in dia- 

 meterj run off the end of the table. Thus 

 three grades are accomplished. Beneatli 

 each of the riddles is fastend a burlap, 

 bagging to the middle, where there is a 

 hole allowing the oranges to roll into the 

 receptacle provided for them. By this ap- 

 pliance the work of grading is accom- 

 plished very quickly and accurately. 



Packing Boxes.— Two kinds of boxes 



Wrapping. — Our more pro- 

 gressive packers are adopting 

 the plan of wrapping each or- 

 ange in paper as it is placed in 

 the box. This involves a good 

 deal of labor and some expense, 

 but it also offers these advantages: 



1. It is a protection to the fruit against 

 bruising while in transit. 



2. It absorbs surplus moisture, thereby 

 preventing rot. 



3. It places the fruit in the market in a 

 tasty manner and conveys the impression 

 that the packer at least had a good appre- 

 ciation of it. 



4. If the wrappers are printed, it becomes 

 a means of advertising the producer 

 or packer and the variety of the fruit. 

 The buyer who likes the oranges will look 

 for that wrapper the next time he buys. 



Number of Orangs to the Box.— With 

 the cases above described oranges run 

 from 100 to 250 to the box. The liappy 

 medium is 150;— this for seedlings or av- 

 erage sized budded fruit. Like the Navel or 

 Mediterranean Sweet. Small fruit like 

 the St. Michael will go 200 to the box on a 

 good average. 



Numbering the Contents.— The or- 

 anges are counted as they are packed and 

 the number each box contains marked on 

 one end. 



Boxes well Filled.— The boxes should 

 be filled so that when the lid is put on it 

 will press the fruit down sufficiently to 

 prevent it from shaking about in hand- 

 ling. 



Cost of Picking and Packing.— The 



