FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
77 
periments they had shipped some imme¬ 
diately and had a number of each lot held 
for one or two or three or four days and 
then shipped, and that the fruit that was 
sent immediately arrived in as good shape 
—I do not know that he said in better 
shape—and the boxes were as full as 
those that had been held. That point is 
what surprised me; that fruit packed 
while it is rigid, when it will not stand 
pressure at all, hardly, should arrive in 
the market in as good condition and as 
full as that which has been held until it 
has shrunk. 
In my practice in the past, I have held 
my fruit until it softens up, and I shall do 
so in the future, unless my ideas change 
very materially. But according to these 
experiments, my practice of holding the 
fruit does not seem necessary to get fruit 
into the market in good shape or to pack 
the box full. 
I give you this because some of you 
may not have heard it—not because I am 
going to adopt it. 
Mr. Thompson: I wish to say that it 
is the practice of our Association to put 
the fruit out just as soon as we possibly 
can. It may be held two or three days, 
in some cases, but the delay is because 
we cannot get to it. The house may be 
crowded with fruit, and there may be a 
good many boxes stand for two or three 
days, but just as soon as we get to it, 
every member’s fruit is taken up in the 
order in which it comes in and run 
through the machinery. We do not let 
it stand, if we can help it. 
Mr. Temple: The government found 
that the fruit which was picked, packed 
and shipped at once, not only went 
through as full, but was in better con¬ 
dition after several days, than fruit that 
was held in the house several days be¬ 
fore shipping. 
The tests conclusively prove the de¬ 
cay was much less when you get the fruit 
into the cars at the quickest possible mo¬ 
ment after you get it from the trees. 
Mr. Hubbard: There is another point 
in regard to shipping fruit as soon as you 
can; that is, the fruit wrapped and pack¬ 
ed as soon as can be conveniently done, 
is fresher, both in appearance and flavor 
when it arrives in the market. 
