The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-02-09
Packing Oranges.


maturing is to construct, say, five
racks Of fine but open-mesh wire
cloth. These to stand over each other,
but inclined in zig-zag way, so that
the oranges will roll gently down and
pass from one TO another until finally
a revolving shaft OF regulated speed
will pick them off and deposit them
Ia box below, says c. j.. Armstrong
in the Florida Farmer. These racks
to be enclosed and this to extend up
TO a ventilator in the roof. At the
bottom will be fan blower TO force
npa current of air equal, say, 10 a
wind of eight miles an hour. The
oranges, thus rolling along two or
three inches minute, and constantly
their sides to the up current of air,
viii have their rinds dried out evenly
aud sufficiently in three to five hours.
Should the atmosphere be cold and
damp, hot air can be introduced 10
raise the temperature 10 eighty or
ninety degrees, the same as is waited
through The trees on sunny day.
With such curer the picking
could go on, interrupted only by rain,
greatly TO the advantage of pickers,
packers and packery. This curer
could be made Of any size. One ten
feet square would have total surface
of 400 square feet, aud wien full
would hold 5000 average size oranges
and would cure 100 to l25 boxes per
day.
Fruit for long voyages might re-
quire longer treatment.
Such an apparatus ls patentable,
but If there is any value in it the
orange packers are welcome to it for
the benefit of the growers. This APP
paratus, however, would be but one of
a series necessary for a packery on
large scale.
The following would be about the
train of operations between the receiv-
ing and shipping doors. The oranges
being received in field boxes, quality
and value settled, quantity deter
mined-probably best by weight
would be poured into the hopper of
power-driven brushes. The brush
would remove dust, smut and scales,
and make fancy of many that now
grade only bright, stLd bright of many
shipped as russets. In appearance
this polishing would undoubtedly add
% TO so cents per box to the CONNER
cial value.
Passing from the brush the oranges
would roll on to ar elevator that
would deposit them at the top of the
curer, which they would descend
The inspector would then Gull and
grade them. The wrappers-by hand
or machine-would follow and place
them on the sizer ready to be packed,
nailed up, marked and shipped.
Il will be observed that the fruit is
only handled by the inspector, the
wrapper and packer. All would be
done with gentleness, neatness and
despatch, and the fruit would go to
market in the best possible condition
and most attractive style.
Packers would do well to place their
placard in each box, to be hung up in
groceries and on fruit-stands. These
placards should have the words
FLORIDA Oranges" and under this,
Health aud Luxury" The rushing
crows would see this, and many
would pause and purchase. Let us
also have a compilation of best meth
DDS of using and recipes for cooking
oranges. Head this tract with
Health and Luxury" and end it
with Families Should Buy Oranges
by the Box One, two or three such
tracts in a box would find their way
into families, be valued and help such
to establish a custom of buying by the
box.