The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-09

siderable Ikil,. Tas different sizes are
known by the uGinber that vii go In q box
los, for instance, or ZOOS, O.. i5Os, or zoos, or
perhaps even 25Gs. For each OF these and
all the intermediate sizes there is q differ
ent way OF laying them in the box, which is
we'll understood by the packer. There may
De, for the very large oranges, two long
rows and two short Oues; for a smaller size
three long rows and two short oDes; for
SONS other size. three long rows and three
short ones, and so on down 70 the su allest
There Is no guesswork about this. When
the packer sets out to pack box of 1905 he
knows exactly how many rows there must
be and how many oranges in each
row. When the box is filed the top rows
protrude an inch or two above the rim OF
the box. They are put under lever pressure
until even with the top, the cover is nailed
on, the hickory straps are fastened around,
the owners name and brand and the size
and quality OF the oranges are stencilled on
the end, and the box is ready for market
The packing factory is on a railroad siding,
and at night train comes aud carries away
a car filled with boxed oranges recently
picked.
These are the things that make the ex-
cellence Of the Florida orange-good cuiti-
walton, careful handling and quick trans
portation. They are in New York usually
within five or six days after the time of
picking.
And have they the same flavor then. !"
he was asked, ''as the ripe orange picked
dlrecs from the tree in FlordaP
mo. They have the same flavor that the
same oranges have at the time OF picking in
Florida, but not the flavor of the perfectly
ripe orange, because they are picked before
they are ripe. They reach New York within
six days but who can tell when they will
reach the consumer. They must be capable
OF lasting for two weeks, at any rate, and to
do that they must not be perfectly ripe
when picked. You pick a ripe orange from
the tree in Florida and let 1t stand in the
pantry for a week. 1t is just as good then
as when it was picked. Such oranges could
easily be brought to New York, but per-
fectlY ripe ones are not brought because
the risk is too great.
There is a singular difference in time Of
coloring between the Florida orange and
the orange Of the West Indies, particularly
the Bahamas. The Florida orange is never
fully ripe until long after it has turned yell
low. On the contrary, the Bahama orange
rarely turns yellow until after it has been
fully ripe for some time. You eat perfectly
ripe oranges in Nassau full, the Bahamians
call them, that have dark green skins. The
color makes no difference with them.
but the want of cultivation makes a
vast difference with them. The best Ba-
hama oranges are nearly equal naturally to
the Floridas, but they are left to them~
selves The treas grow In odd corners,
wherever there happens to be a convenient
place, and they are seldom trimmed and
never fortified. When they are nearly
full, which is told by their being somewhat
soft when squeezed, the colored gentleman
who owns them pulls them from the trees
and throws them into his donkey cart
They are sold to some local merchant,
who barrels them just as they are,
without sorting or wrapping, and In
that condition are sent to New York. This
is the way It is done in Nassau: but when
they are raised on what are called the out
islands, such as Inagua, Watlings, San SAL
vador, and so on, they must first be seat to
Nassau In sailing vessels, to reach the
steamer. 1t Is no wonder that they are
nearly worthless when they arrive in New
York, though they are delicious when eaten
on the spot. 1t is the same thing all over
the West Indies; there is no cultivation of
oranges, no proper handling, no quick
transit to market. You can readily see
why the Mediterranean orange in New York
is 30 sour and inferior in every way The
transit Is SO long that the fruit must be
picked before it is half ripe
"Of course you have noticed how much
better the oranges are now than they were
twenty years ago. You would not think
now OF eating an orange that seemed all
Improvement comes through better cultiva-
ton and quicker transit. Nobody who has
become accustomed to eating Florida or
anges will eat a Mediterranean or a West
Indian orange in New York if he can help
it. For the same reasons we have now an
abundance Of all the citrus fruits, soma Of
which were almost unknown TO us a few
years ago. They are large family. There
are the oranges, of which there are eighty or
H.
always had, but the quality is much i'm
proved; and now we have an abundance Of
lines, which are superior to lemons In every
respect. There are many varieties OF lem
ons, and several of hines. Then there are
the shaddocks and grape fruits, for which
some people have. cultivated "a taste The
grape fruit is twice as large as the orange,
and the shaddock is twice as large as the
grape fruit. The grape fruit is valuable
tonic. There is an extremely bitter white
film between the fruit and skin, which
seems to possess the same qualities as
quinine. The sale ofgrape fruit has greatly
increased in New York within few years,
and large qashtities of them are
raised in Flortda. So are lemons aud
closely allied. There are sweet lemons, as
sweet as oranges. but with the lemon flavor;
and there are sour oranges, as sour as
lemons, but with the orange flavor. You
can raise oranges, lemons, lines, shaddocks
and grape fruit all of the same tree, by
grating. | have never seen them alto
Rether, but l have frequently seen oranges,
lemons and lines growing from the same
trunk in the West Indies. In florida these
experiments are seldoHR tried, because the
orange trees are too valuable to be
tempered with"
Bananas and oranges, of course, are
staples. What other foreign fruit do you
consider a staple in the New York markets"
"Pineapples." he replied.
"Are there any American pineapplesm
"Tbey are like the bananas; there are a
few Americans, but not enough to affect
the market. Some good pineapples are
raised in Florida, particularly in the Lake
Worth district. In the middle counties,
also, they are raised, but at some risk, aud
under great disadvantages it is hardly
worth while trying them north of Tampa.
They are raised in Orange county, Florida
on a small scale, by building a scantling
frame over and around the beds. That is
the sides of the frame are like wide picket
fence, and the top is the same. This lets the
sun and rain in, aud the scantlings are sup
posed to keep out the frost. This does very
well for private gardens, but it would not
answer on a large scale. Some Of the In
dian river pines grow to a large size, but
very large pine is almost certain to be coarse
and fibrous, and TO want flavor. The best
Florida pines come from the range of islands
in the neighborhood of Key West"
What countries supply pineapplesp
''All the neighboring tropical countries
send them to u.s. The Bahama pines have a
,kaN ~ nInh i