40 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
nails—should be often inspected to see 
that no rotten fruit, slivers, nail heads, 
rough trash or sharp edges can, by any 
possibility, come in contact with it. If 
oranges could squeal like a pig when hurt, 
there would be noisy times in some pack¬ 
ing-houses and about some pickers. 
The markets have had washed fruit 
and like it, if washed without injury. 
No washer will do good and safe work 
in the hands of careless workers; but 
there are some now on the market that, 
properly handled, will rather add to than 
injure the keeping qualities of our fruit 
while doing nice work. I wash all my 
fruit, though it is as clean and bright as 
that of any grove probably, and I could 
hardly be hired to give up the practice. 
After washing the fruit should be dried, 
being but one layer deep before being put 
into bins or crowded together in any 
way. A wet skin does not hurt sound 
citrus fruits if all parts are wet. Drying 
on one side and soaking on another is 
not recommended. My own packing¬ 
house is so arranged that if fruit has to 
be taken in wet from the outside drying 
rack, it will dry evenly in the trays where 
it is graded. 
All citrus fruits should be carefully 
graded into at least two grades. My 
own practice is to make three grades: 
Fancy, No. i Bright and No. 2 Bright. 
I have few russets. While grading, I 
have the scale insects, where there are 
any, removed by scraping with a light 
spatula of hard pine. Any orange that 
is even doubtful as to soundness is put 
in the cull box. 
I prefer to pack after the fruit has been 
off the trees at least twenty to thirty 
hours and has lost its rigidity. 
Tf the system of handling is in deep 
masses of fruit, then the quicker they are 
packed and shipped the better their con¬ 
dition on arrival in market. If the nights 
are cool and the days warm, it is ad¬ 
visable to close the packing-house tightly 
before the air warms up much, as 
otherwise it will deposit its moisture on 
the cold fruit so that they become drip¬ 
ping wet and unfit to be handled for the 
time being. With this exception a good 
current of pure air through the packing¬ 
house is always desirable. 
From the grading trays, the fruit goes 
to the large hopper holding many boxes, 
and from there to the sizer and through 
the spouts to the packing-bins. The slope 
of the hopper should be a little greater, 
but for drying rack and spouting, three- 
fourths inch to the foot is about right. 
There are many sizers on the market and 
several do good work. I should choose 
one that by no possibility could injure the 
fruit, that would size by the largest 
diameter, would be lasting, simple in con¬ 
struction and easy to' run. 
The bins from which the fruit is packed 
should be of good size; those likely to 
receive the greatest quantity should be 
the largest; those taking the largest and 
smallest sizes can be of less capacity. 
They should be so constructed as to avoid 
the necessity of pulling the fruit about 
with the hands and should have either 
canvas bottoms or be well cushioned 
where the oranges are to drop more than 
four inches. 
Use strong but not heavy tissue paper 
for wraps. The so-called Japanese is 
good, but a little too transparent. Paper 
that will give a reddish tinge to the fruit 
is best, if not too tender. Have your 
private brand printed on each wrap, 
and not so large but that the whole of 
it will show plainly on a 200-size orange. 
Wrap with brand opposite the stem and 
