FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
first week in March. After this, the 
later varieties may be shipped at good 
prices and fair profit from groves well 
south in the state or farther north if the 
groves are protected from injury from 
cold. 
Load your own fruit into cars wher¬ 
ever possible, even though there be but 
a few boxes in the shipment, and see 
that the ventilators are all open. 
As between express and freight, for 
sound fruit I prefer the latter, believing 
that the rougher handling and stealage 
by express more than compensate for the 
difference in time of delivery, to say no¬ 
thing of the greater difficulty in collecting 
just claims. 
The lesson, then, that I would teach 
is carefulness that should run, like the 
red strand in the cordage of the English 
navy, through all our operations and re¬ 
lations with our fruit. This, coupled 
with honesty and loyalty to ourselves and 
the handlers of our products, will allow 
of our shipping our fruit to the north 
in ventilated cars and there hold more 
than our own against the pre-cooled and 
iced fruit of our worthy rival, California; 
but the lack of it during the past season 
has cost us dearly in both money and the 
reputation of our fruit. 
I also have some rules posted in my 
packing-house, and if you would care to 
hear them I will read them to you. They 
are for the guidance of help, and No. 18 
is for casual visitors as well. 
1. 
Care must be taken when picking or¬ 
anges not to clipper-cut, bruise or thorn 
them. 
2 . 
Every picker must put his number on 
the boxes he picks. 
43 
3 - 
Do not let oranges remain in the hot 
sun when waiting to be hauled, or for 
long when on the drying rack. 
4 - 
Every orange must be washed, and 
sponges used regularly when washing. 
5 - 
Keep plenty of water in the washer 
to hold weight of fruit so as to wash 
clean. 
6 . 
All oranges must be examined for long 
stems and all found must be closely clip¬ 
ped before the fruit goes into the washer. 
7 - 
When curing, oranges should not be 
over two layers deep. 
8 . 
Keep a constant and careful lookout 
for anything that will injure the fruit, 
such as nails, slivers, sharp edges or long- 
finger nails. All persons handling fruit 
for shipment (should keep their finger 
nails closely cut. 
9 - 
Be careful to have cushions in place 
when pouring oranges into bins or hop¬ 
per, and see that no injury is done to any 
that may be already there. 
io. 
Look out for blue mold about bins or 
boxes and for rotten oranges in the pack¬ 
ing-house. These should be removed at 
once. 
