The Opelousas courier., 1886-12-11
-
ORANGE HARVEST.
Gathering the Golden Fruit
an Florida.
Butting, Separating, Sorting, Wrapping and
Packing the Oranges.

When the latter days of September APP
proach, the bizarre splendors of the rainy
afternoon, which for four months, has
irrigated the grove, grow less frequent,
| and with the soft, dry days of our au-
tumn we begin harvest; the early OBJ
long or Thornton's bell, the egg, and the
round Sang qur seeding begin to ripen,
and are ready for gathering.
A grove is not in bearing condition
until its trees average five hundred apples,
SO the labor of merely picking a crop of
oranges can be understood. Nor is the
gatherer permitted to pluck the fruit. 1t
swing its tempting yellow among the
dark green leaves and long, steely thorns
high among the tops and low among the
bending boughs. Tall step-ladders and
light-weights are in demand, for care
must be taken not to break the fruitful
branches already symptomatic of another
year.
The fruit must be "stem- cut" An
adroit expert learns to clip the fruit,
holding it between the third and fourth
fingers and the shoulder of the thumb,
transferring it lightly to the pouch sus-
pended at his neck. The musk of the
wind-shaken, crushed, thorn-pierced, and
fallen fruit, the pungent, aromatic odors
of the leaves and Ill highlands load the air
with fragrance as the exhilirating task
proceeds.
A bright. dry day must be chosen, as
moisture on the rind tends to decay, and
there must be caution in handling, as
bruised orange may infect an entire box
or crate.
A brisk hand stem-cutting in a full
crop can average his three hundred by
the hour, or three thousand apples per
day, but this is not frequent, ON account
of the cautious handling. The picker
transfers his sack or basket carefully to
the drying-house where the fruit is spread
out to dry. The sweating process oc-
cupies three or more days. A good dry
ing-house is arranged with Slated shelves,
that the air may penetrate to the inter-
stices of the strips. A light fire is of
as it promotes the drying, by
which the rind becomes firmer, taking a
crisp, horny texture, protecting the pulp
from bruising.
The next step is selecting, removing
all bruised, thorn-pricked, or injured
fruit into separate lots. This, which
should precede arranging on drying.
floor or shelves, to avoid contact, is fol-
lowed by separating the rusty fruit from
the bright yellow. If this is carefully
done, a selection may be made of rusty
fruit in which the bronze contrasts pref
lilly with the gold on the orange, like the
bloom on the peach. As the rust in no
way impairs flavor or juiciness, a we'll
selected box of rust fruit compares with
the 'brights."
Sorting Is putting oranges of the same
diameter in separate heaps. The next
step is wrapping. A thin tissue paper is
used, cut into squares of twelve or four
teen inches, the Florida sweet Seeding
ten inches in circumference;
egg, mandarin being smaller.
the fruit on the sheet spread ON
the open palm, closing the hand unites
the corners for a twist of the right hand.
and it is wrapped. The fruit is packed
thin elastic boxes, 12x12x27 outside
measurement-the wrapped orang is
packed stem down-and, of an average
three-inch diameter, will hold four rows
nine to the row, or 1916. The usual
complement of the south Florida fruit,
however, is 128, packed apple above ap-
pie, with paper division to each layer
The packing box is divided in the
middle, the ends and partition being firm
aalf-inch wood and the sides flexible.
By arranging the fruit differently, as is
'equired in sizes exceeding or less than
diameter, space is economical
" alternating the rows to fill the diverse
md re-entering curves. A size running
rs can be set alternate threes and fours.
md be SO packed.
The process is delicate. The packing
must be close, fitting with even pressure
bruiing, to bear the iarrine of
:areless stevedores and 'longshoremen,
Who annually exasperate the cropper. In
lttlng the box, layer of paper is put at
ne bottom and n Tapped above and
so that the fold, after the success
layers are closely fitted, may lap
yer and cover the top. The upper row
hould rise not to exceed a quarter of an
ach above the box edging, that, on nail
ng down the elastic top, the spring of
rood fiber in it may have a firm, constant
sure, to resist jarring and displace-
rent Southern Biooudc.
,1d-1Gme Way Of Keeping Apples. !
A &WG ~