Oranges:crates & labels

History

In the late 1800s, the baskets and barrels were used to ship fruit were unsatisfactory for sending oranges by railroad car.

After some experimentation, wooden orange crates were developed.

Wooden orange crates were used until they were replaced by cardboard boxes in the ‘50s

The men used ladders to reach up into the trees. Curved clippers were used to trim the stem right down to skin; too long a stem would puncture other fruit, ruining it. The pickers dropped the fruit into bags worn over one shoulder. The bags could be opened at the bottom, to empty the fruit into the field boxes.

The field boxes were then hauled to the packing house. For many years, horses and wagons were still used in the groves. They were lighter than trucks, and less likely to damage the roots of the trees.

At the packing house, fruit that was ready to be packed was run through a washer, then air dried. In later years, a light coating of natural wax would be applied, to help protect the moisture inside the fruit and improve its

appearance.

From the moment the fruit entered the packing houses, it was being sorted for quality and size.

The fruit was carried on conveyor belts to the grading tables, where workers would visually sort the fruit into three grades. The sorted fruit was then

carried on belts to the packing tables.

Packing oranges in the old days was an art. The top-grade fruit would be wrapped in printed tissue paper (a technique developed in the 1880s) and placed in the boxes so that the printed names showed between the slats.

Beginning in the 1920s, the tissue wrappers were replaced with printed logos, and later stickers.

Crates, manufactured in a rectangular shape measuring 12 x 12 x 27, were easy to handle

and could be quickly loaded into a rail car. Stenciled labels were used on the crates at first, but failed to appeal to the wholesalers

who purchased the oranges.

As a result, a colorful 10 x 11 inch label, which attracted the

attention of the wholesaler and promoted the product, came into

use.

Label themes

•The years from 1880 until after World War I are categorized as the naturalist period. During this time labels featured flowers, birds, animals and scenic views with a few historic themes.

•In 1920 labels began to stress the health benefits of oranges and orange juice.

•From 1930 until the mid-1950s when the cardboard box took over, label designs featured graphic art with more lettering than illustrations.

Naturalist period. During this time labels featured flowers, birds, animals and scenic views with a few historic themes

Stressing the health benefits of oranges and orange juice.

Designs featured graphic art with more lettering than illustrations.

Packaging today