96 



ORANGE CULTURE. 



Every shipper should have a house or room set apart for 

 curing and packing the fruit. 



There are two methods of preparing it for shipment, of 

 which the old method, which is termed sweating, would seem the 

 very worst treatment to which it could be subjected, and we 

 believe it to be so, and to have caused the loss of thousands of 

 dollars to Florida orange growers. 



As we have said, the skin of the newly-plucked orange 

 contains a great deal of water, and before packing it for ship- 

 ment, we want to get rid of this surplus element of decay. 



In order to accomplish this desirable result, it used to be 

 the universal custom, and one that is still too much in vogue, to 

 put the oranges in a large heap and cover them with blankets^ 

 leaving them thus for several days, until they had undergone a 

 sweat, a number being rotted and crushed by the process, and 

 the inevitable germs of decay generated in many others. 



Those that appear sound after this ordeal are spread out for 

 a day to dry, and then shipped, almost invaria})ly to be reported^ 

 " arrived in bad condition." 



Who can wonder ? They have been coaxed and encourged 

 to decay before their journey was commenced, by having their 

 tender skins heated, steeped in moisture, and their cells crushed 

 by pressure. 



A far more sensible plan of curing oranges and lemons is 

 that adopted by the more progressive growers. 



Around on the walls of the well ventilated room or house, 

 shelves should' be made as deep as one's arms can conveniently 

 reach across, the first shelf about two feet from the floor, and the 

 others about one foot apart. 



These shelves should be composed of narrow slats, two 

 inches apart, their edges carefully rounded off, to avoid bruis- 

 ing the fruit, and one of the slats placed on edge at the front to 

 prevent the fruit from rolling off. 



When different varieties are to be gathered, separate 

 shelves should be set apart for each kind, the name being placed. 

 in a conspicuous position, that there may be no mistakes made. 



The oranges should be gathered on a clear, dry day, after 



