84 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
Packing Association” at Tavares, I form¬ 
ulated my ideas of a system of applying 
pipes in a manner to utilize the old Tiot 
air” drying box and drop rack, to the 
President, Mr. Wakelin, and Manager, 
Mr. Booth, of the association. 
After carefully digesting the conditions, 
an expert contractor was called in, and 
the requirements laid before him. He 
approved of the plan, and fulfilled a con¬ 
tract to put in operation the necessary pip¬ 
ing including a boiler “Guaranteed to give 
satisfaction,” at a cost considerably less 
than $400. This drying plant consists 
of a set of wooden rollers turning on their 
own axes, 38 feet in length by 3 feet wide, 
discharging the fruit onto another set of 
rollers 6 feet wide and 36 feet long. Both 
are enclosed in a box made of tongued 
and grooved flooring. Close under the 
rolls is a system of one-inch iron pipes— 
the first 12 and the other 24 pipes running 
lengthwise—each with an expansion 
joint, and connected to a large cross head 
pipe. The steam is supplied by a 10 H. 
P. upright boiler, set in a convenient out 
of the way location, and stop cocks so 
placed that the steam can be turned onto 
one or both systems of piping. A therm¬ 
ostat should be placed inside the drying 
box against the middle of the length of 
the side wall 5 also a thermometer. A 
fan is run in the chimney flue by a 3 
H'. P. motor at the far end from grading 
belt to draw off the air that has become 
saturated with moisture. By these means 
the desired temperature can be maintained 
steadily. 
The capacity of both drying boxes is 
30 boxes, and the fruit is 8 minutes 
passing through each, giving 4 cars in 
10 hours, and the fuel cost has been 
$197 for the season—using coal. This 
cost would be lessened by nearly one- 
half, had all the coal been bought by 
the car-load. 
The results have been very satisfac¬ 
tory and controllable. So much so that 
the manager, Mr. J. B. Booth, does not 
believe there is a better drying plant 
in the state. 
This house has to pack under very un¬ 
favorable conditions. Being a central 
house, considerable of the fruit is picked 
by inexperienced pickers, has to be 
transported across a lake on barge, re¬ 
loaded on car, in some cases hauled 50 
miles, often being 3 to 5 days after 
picking before it is packed. Another 
disadvantage is that they have so much 
early and mid-season fruit they have to 
continue packing through the decay 
weather periods. 
The past season the dry' box has 
been kept at 98 to 100 degrees. It is 
my belief that the box should be kept 
at 120 to 135 degrees to secure a dry¬ 
ing over of all injuries that have passed 
observation. There seems to be a gen¬ 
eral fear that the fruit might be cooked. 
It is yet left to experiment how much 
heat fruit will stand without injury. 
The greater the degree of heat, the 
shorter time it need be exposed, quick 
drying of the peel with little heating 
of inside being desired. 
A comparison of results of last and 
this season shows a vast improvement. 
Season of 1912-13, shipped 177,954 
boxes; season of 1913-14, to April 24, 
183,175 boxes. Last season’s decay, 
