Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 106, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 May 1920 — Plucking Oranges Is an Art. [ARTICLE]

Plucking Oranges Is an Art.

Orange gathering and packing Is not such a simple business as is' generally supposed. The trees are high, and the fruit is so tender that careless handling atanystage will cause decay to set in, and through one defective orange thousands may be infected and spoiled. Every orange is taken from the tree by hand. The pickers stand on high step-ladders, which enable them to reach the topmost branches. Catching the orange in one thicklygloved hand, they deftly sever Its stalk with a sharp knife in the other, and drop it into a deep bag slung across the shoulder. To pluck the orange away would break the skin and allow decay to set in. Various devices have been tried for picking, such as longhandled knife connected with a canvas chute through which the orange slides gently to the ground; but handpicking still holds its own as the one satisfactory method.