FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
45 
‘ ‘choice bright” and so on. This will, 
perhaps be one of the benefits of the new 
marketing system which I devoutly hope 
will materialize. 
As the fruit comes into the packing¬ 
house, after it has been cleaned and sort¬ 
ed, it is desirable to have room for stor¬ 
age before sizing. If boxes are used they 
should be so made and used as to give 
the best possible ventilation to their con¬ 
tents. Rack bins are, however, better. In 
them the fruit receives unobstructed ex¬ 
posure to the air, the pores are more 
quickly closed and possible scratches 
have a better opportunity of drying and 
healing over. A few hours of this treat¬ 
ment should place the fruit in good condi¬ 
tion for packing. 
One of our most successful growers 
dispenses with packing-house curing en¬ 
tirely by letting the fruit remain out in 
the grove, after picking, for about twen¬ 
ty-four hours before hauling to the pack¬ 
ing-house. If the results of a method are 
a measure of its sucess, this is certainly a 
good one. 
With the excellent machines now in use 
there should be no trouble in sizing prop¬ 
erly. I use the latest Maull production 
and find it quite satisfactory for oranges, 
grapefruit and tangerines. 
Whether the “bulge” or flat pack be 
adopted the box should contain all the 
oranges possible without bruising. There 
is scant excuse for a slack packed box. 
I use a press, also made by Maull. 
Some sort of press, I deem very important 
as the jar to the fruit in nailing down the 
cover should be avoided. 
Whether white or manilla paper be used 
or whether there be trimming is, perhaps, 
not very important but it is pretty sure to 
be a matter of satisfaction and profit to 
make the package as attractive as possible. 
It should be a matter of pride with us, 
as it is with the California packers. 
Stenciling and stamping should be 
neat and in good taste and it is well to 
use some distinctive motto or brand, un¬ 
less we want our work for our own suf¬ 
ficient reasons, to be anonymous. 
Let me add a few “don’ts.” 
Don’t pick your fruit when you notice 
split fruit decaying rapidly on the trees. 
Don’t use a grove crate holding more 
than three pecks. 
Don’t permit a long or pointed stem 
on your fruit. 
Don’t fill your grove crate so that the 
highest orange will touch the bottom of 
the crate above when stacked. 
Don’t pick into a sack. 
Don’t pour your fruit so that it will 
fall more than one inch unless it strikes 
a cushion. 
Don’t permit a sharp point or edge in 
crate or bin where it can come into con¬ 
tact with the fruit. 
Don’t permit long fingernails to be 
worn by pickers or packing-house men. 
Don’t permit jolting when the fruit is 
being hauled. 
With regard to artificial means of pre¬ 
venting decay, fumigation in the car has 
not been found to give good results. In 
some cases a spray or bath of ammoniacal 
solution of copper carbonate or bisulphate 
of soda has been efficient. 
There is one point that we cannot too 
much emphasize, the value of reputation; 
not only our individual reputation but the 
reputation of the Florida fruit generally. 
You are aware how sensitive the market 
is, how quickly there is depression when 
