44 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
ment. We have not yet obtained suffi¬ 
cient data to make a general statement, 
but the professor is correct so far as the 
analyses we have made, have gone. 
Mr. McKay: That is a very good 
point, and I intended to make it clear. 
The statements made were the result of 
the few analyses we have made but not 
enough have been made to enable us to 
state that it is a definite fact. 
Mr. Hubbard: I would like to ask 
Mr. McKay what percentage of natural 
shrinkage was sustained by the fruit that 
was stored. 
Mr. McKay: I should say during No¬ 
vember and December it was not more 
than 2 or 3 per cent. However, last 
month the conditions were such that it 
ran up as high as 6 per cent. The av¬ 
erage has been as much as 3 or 4 per 
cent, a month. The total percentage of 
the shrinkage of fruit held five months 
would be about 14 or 15 per cent. 
Mr. Hubbard: That coincides with 
an experiment I made in shipping oranges 
to England. The oranges were gathered 
the 15th of October and shipped to 1 my 
son, and kept in cold storage at South¬ 
ampton. They were sold the first part 
of March, and the shrinkage was about 
the percentage you mention. 
Mr. Thompson; I would like to ask 
in regard to the clipping of the fruit; 
what kind of clippers; I mean what make 
is found to give the best results generally 
over the State. 
Mr. McKay: I cannot recommend any 
particular make of clippers; you want one 
that does not get out of order easily, 
with round points, not apt to puncture 
the fruit, and one that can be used with 
safety and give good satisfaction. 
(Laughter.) 
Mr. Thompson: I do not ask you to 
give any particular name. I would like 
to know if different classes of clippers 
were used in that work. 
Mr. McKay: Two or three different 
kinds. One or two of the better kinds. 
Mr. Thompson: I know that is very 
important. I try to get the best clippers 
I can find, and yet we have poor enough 
work. I have not yet found a good clip¬ 
per, or, rather, I should say perhaps in 
good hands. 
Mr. McKay: It is not the clipper so 
much as the man in charge of the crew. 
If you have good men with good clippers, 
kept in good condition, you are pretty 
apt to get good work. 
Mr. Skinner: I would like to know 
if the Government thinks enough of this 
to continue the experiments; I mean, the 
grapefruit storage. 
Mr. McKay: They think enough of it 
to carry it on one more season. 
Mr. Skinner: I think the thanks of 
the Society are due this department, and 
especially the man who negotiated this 
work. I have known about it and watch¬ 
ed with a great deal of appreciation the 
work that is being done. I was greatly 
pleased, but not surprised, that Mr. Tem¬ 
ple, who had already given the depart¬ 
ment the use of his groves, should go to 
work and out of his own pocket pay 
enough for them to continue this work. 
I think the thanks of all growers are due 
Mr. Temple. 
Mr. McKay: We certainly appreciate 
the co-operation of Mr. Temple at Win¬ 
ter Park, and, in fact, it has made the 
