The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1885-02-18
The Orange Question.
THE PACKING HOUSE AND APPLIANCE
PICKING THE oRANGEs-soRTING AND
PAcKING-THE GROVE AND ITS
IRRIGATION, ETC, ETC.

IRRIGATION, ETC, ,:ETc.
Last week a reporter of the Times
Jnicn was sent up to the Spring Grove,
which is on the westside Of Lake George
and is in the southeast corner OF Orange
county. His mission was, to visit the
we'll known orange grove Of Greenleat d
Pomeroy, to see Mr.. Damon Greenleaf,
the senior partner and principal owner
of one of the finest rangesgroves in Flor
ida, to get from him some information
about the result of his observations while
on a. rcent visit to and inspection of the
groves in Italy and Sicily.
On landing at the grove the reporter
walked up a long wharf and was invited
to take ride up to the packing house,
half,a mile away, where Mr.. (Greenleaf
was engaged in packing and shipping or
anges He jumped on a small flat car
hauled by mule, and in five minutes
was .at the packing house. There is a
tnrn7table here with tracks radiating on
to different parts of the grove.
He found Mr.. Greenleaf hard atywork
marking lot of orange boxes that had
Just been packed. Our man was at once
taken, into the packing house and shown
all the improved appliances which the
observation and experience of Mr.; Green
leaf had invoked.
The. packing house has just been com
,pleted. 1t is one hundredfeetlong !! for
ty feet,wide and two stories high. 1t is
arranged with stationary racks on one
side and through the centre, and about
forty. movable racks mounted onwheels.
These racks are provided each with six
tiers. each tier intended to hold, a layer
of oranges. The Stats upholding each
tier of oranges are so constructed as to
conform to the shape of the sorange.
The object of the stationary racks isrto
sweat the oranges for several days before
packing The movable racks .areantend-
ed for storage for a long period OF time.
Actual observation has Taught NLr4GSreen-
leaf that oranges wrapped and stored. on
these racks will keep in perfect'condition
for several months. 1t is his intention,
.as soon asithe fruit fully mabunes, to pick
and store all that portion OF the crop.
liable to damage by exposure to winds
and frosts, and when stored he has leis-l
,ure to supply all the demands of the
market.
GlNlHERING TIE FRUTT-
The force lat present gathering the fruit
consists of fifteen men, all whites, and
each gathersfrom fifteen to tweGty boxes
per day. The clipper used in cutting
the fruit from the trees is the invention OF
Mr. O. p Summers, of Ormond, Florida,
and is, in his judgement, about the best
that is made. The oranges, as fast as
gathered, are placed in tin cases made
toconform to the size of the gatherer's
body. The shoulder straps beingOn the
inside prevents hruising by weight, and
the tin insures stiffness in shape. This
also guards the oranges from being
priGked by the thorns on the trees.
The oranges are then placed in boxes
three inches longer than those sent to
market, thus insvring without heaping a
full box for packing. These boxes are
them carried to the car and transported
to the packing house. Here they are
placed on small trucks and wheeled to
the stationary racks, four deep, to TN
ing.
SORTING AND PACKING.
When this process is completed they
are carefully wiped, inspected and sorted
as to quality, from the clear bright to
the russets. Then each quality is sorted
as to size. This is done by sorter in
vented by Mr.. Stephens, of Citra, Fla.
1t consists of two bottomless tracks,
gradually widening ona downward plane.
This divides them into seven sizes, and
The orange is placed at the upper and
marrow end of the track. 1t rolls until it
reaches point wide enough to admit it,
when it drops and is received into
cloth pocket, passing Through a cloth
chute at the bottom of which is con-
tr1wance made of cloth and attached to
the chute, which breaks the force of the
fall and rolls the orange gently into the
box underneath, which is placed on
platform supported by springs and so
graduated that the box settles as fast as
it fills. At the lower end of the sorter is
cloth bumper, padded, to prevent
bruising any oranges which may accE-
IDENTIFY run off the track.
The oranges are then taken to small
tables, ingeniously arrange by Mr..
Greenleaf, and wrapped The boxes
then slide to the packing table is num-
bered to correspond with the size of the
sorter. The oranges are then packed
with the greatest care, and the word
packed is to be literally construed, for
they are jammed against each other.
When the box is full the top layer Of or
anges is at considerable height above