40 



It must also be remembered that the climatic conditions must be 

 carefully considered and noted as Oranges picked after wet weather 

 will assuredly require more time as a test than those picked in dry 

 weather. 



Whether the weather has anything to do with their keeping quali- 

 ties after they are in the packing shed, I haye not sufficiently studied 

 to express an opinion. One Packer in St. Ann told me he had found it 

 so, whilst another in Manchester did not think it could have, but if so, 

 it would not be expensive to have drying sheds heated artificially. 



I believe the first cause of our failure is that we are not cari ful 

 enough in picking off the tree, as most of us have seen fruit carelully 

 picker! and kept for months, eventually drying up, but not going 

 rotten. A s it will take us time to overcome this difficulty I have to 

 fall back on advising that the Oranges be kept a longer time before 

 being packed. 



As to what has been said and written about inspection, this can only 

 be effectually done in the packing houses, as it would be impossible 

 to inspect on the "Wharf during the Season. 



I may say that Messrs. Elders & Fyffe's are experimenting now, as 

 to the length of time to keep before packing, and as it is somewhat 

 late in the Se; son these experiments will be continued next crop. 



In regard to the English Market it gave me the idea that it was 

 only necessary for us to put our Oranges there in good order, at any 

 time of the year, to rea'ize very good prices, and 1 iook forward with 

 the greatest confidence to the growth of this trade ; but each one in- 

 terested must lecognize that just now the Jamaica ('ranges has not a 

 good name in th-e Market, owing to the condition in which it arrives, 

 and we must therefore work for the success of the trade generally. 



Good brands will tell eventually, just now 7 it is the Jamaica Orange 

 that has to be considered. 



I have the honoui to be, 



Yours obediently, 



Thomas Kemp. 



Extract from Messrs. Elders 8f Fyffe's letter 18th Jan ., 1902, to Shipper. 



" We are very pleased to t< li you that your fruit arriv* d in very 

 good condition — in fact the 24 cases marked .... could not 

 very w ell have been better, and the . . . mark was only slightly 

 inferior, but it showed a little sign of waste, so we had to reduce the 

 price. 



We took particular notice to examine the packing of your fruit 

 and it was most satisfactory, which no doubt accounted for the fruit 

 arriving in such splendid condition. We notice that the fault of most 

 of the oranges shipped from Jamaica is that they are not packed tight 

 enough in the cases. We are sure that if you can only manage to always 

 ship sound fruit they would realize very good prices. 



Extract ftom Mr. Stcckley's letter of 17th Jan., 1902, to Shipper. 

 "I am very glad indeed to see Low 7 splendidly your oranges by the 

 'Morant' arrived. 1 wiis down at Avonmouth when they came out of 



