FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
49 
that the result of those experiments is 
that we have to raise the temperature 
of the air in order to get this fruit dry 
enough to prevent decay. There are oth¬ 
ers who feel that if we reduce the temper¬ 
ature of the air and cool the fruit, it 
would be better. The results obtained 
this year at our packing house have been 
fine, and were gained by heating the 
fruit probably eight or ten degrees high¬ 
er than when it came under the fans, and 
getting it absolutely dry. 
If you take a glass and look at an or¬ 
ange as ordinarily dried, you will be more 
than likely to find infinitesimal spots of 
moisture in the pores of the rind, even 
though it seems perfectly dry. This is 
far from being dry. 
As I said before, I think Dr. Sadler 
has struck the keynote. The point is to 
get your fruit dry, if you have to wash 
DISCUSSION. 
Dr. Sadler: I am very glad, Mr. 
Skinner, that you have been able to reach 
the same conclusion as mine. I have 
been sure for some time that I was right 
on principle. I would like to know if this 
is of value, especially to the Experiment 
Station, that it may be taken up in a 
scientific way and worked out to a con¬ 
clusion. If we can only prove it, prove 
that fruit thoroughly dry will go 
through to the market, think what we 
can save on ice bills! 
Here in Florida it is impossible to dry 
the fruit on some days. I have seen 
days when the air was absolutely satu¬ 
rated. You might blow all the air in 
Florida over that fruit, and you coudn’t 
dry it. The temperature must be raised 
and our packing houses equipped so that 
we can dry it under all conditions. 
Mr. Skinner : The question of refrig¬ 
eration has been brought up, and the ex¬ 
pense of it. I suppose some of you are 
aware that we are paying about twice as 
much for refrigeration as we ought to 
pay. Refrigeration charges are in the 
neighborhood of $50.00 to $75.00 per 
car. Refrigeration on vegetables is a 
good deal less. There is an effort being 
made to get this refrigeration charge re¬ 
duced. At the Tampa meeting of the 
Orange and Vegetable Growers, this 
league was formed. One of its purposes 
is to help growers get the money out of 
their stuff whenever it is possible. You 
see, I am advertising right now. I am 
advertising the League. We are trying 
to get together a number of shippers to 
make this thing a success. The cost is 
not much: Only $1.00 for each member 
and an assessment of 25 cents on each car 
for all of the product shipped. It looks 
like a little amount of money, but if ev¬ 
erybody would come in and do their part, 
we will probably be able to do> our part 
and save $25.00 or $30.00 a car on every 
car shipped. It is time for everyone to 
help. It is not my business, nor any one 
person’s business, but the business of all 
of us. You ought to help organize the 
League, because with your earnest sup¬ 
port it can save you lots of money. 
Take the Florida Shippers’ Associa¬ 
tion; it is a very small Association; just 
a few men, and yet they have saved this 
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