Video Parts (2)
This clip is Part 1 of a 2-part film.
ORANGES AND OLIVES Part 1
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “Orange trees are first started as ‘seedlings’ in which the desired ‘budding or grafting’ may be made later. The largest groves are in California.” Orange grove - worker grafting. “Water from the snowcapped Sierra Nevada is carefully measured before it is used to irrigate the orange grove.” Car on snowy country road, three men having snowball fight - water flowing into ditch from storage tank. “The balmy climate of the orange land attracts many tourists in winter.” Tourists pick oranges. “The blossoms, green fruit and ripe oranges are found on the tree at the same time.” Close-up of blossoms and fruit. “The orange tree is small and pickers never climb into the tree to harvest the fruit.” Pickers on ground and on ladder. Picker places fruit in canvas bag slung over his shoulder - close-up of hands clipping orange from branch. “Oranges are picked by hand and put gently into a bag to prevent bruising. These bags hold about 100 of the fruit.” Workers pose, one throws oranges. “Mexican and Japanese pickers harvest the California orange crop.” Workers pose. “At the packing house the oranges are cleaned and sorted. A machine washes and scrubs the golden fruit.” Oranges travel along conveyor belt. “Oranges are sorted by machinery. The best grade is the heaviest fruit.” Sorting machinery in operation. “Fruit imperfect in color or form is hand sorted.” “Each orange is wrapped in tissue paper -- 50 per minute.” Workers wrapping and crating oranges. “Wrapped and packed in boxes containing 2 cubic feet, oranges are shipped in special fruit trains across the continent.” Worker placing tops on crates. “The golden fruit may be sold on the street, from the fruit stand or the store.” Small boy eating an orange. “Olives.” Worker chopping a branch off of an olive tree - two men saw branch off tree with bucksaw. “The Sylmar grove in southern California is the largest olive orchard in the world.” Panorama of orchard in valley, mountains in background. “Mexican olive pickers camp in the orchard during the harvesting season.” Tents, children pose beside overturned bench and camp fire with tub over - family sitting on the grass eating. “The entire family is employed.” Family eating. “The olives are beaten off the tree and gathered by the children.” Man on ladder beating tree with stick - children picking up olives. “Ripe olives are very bitter and are never eaten as they come from the trees.” Child with bucket of olives. “As fast as the olives are gathered they are taken to the cannery.” Workers unload boxes of olives from wagon onto dollies. “This machine assorts the fruit according to size.” Worker scrapes olives from conveyor into sorting machine. “Olives are soaked for three or four days in a lye solution to remove the bitter taste, and in salt brine 8 or 10 days to remove the lye.” Worker stirring contents of vats - moving olives from vat to another - worker dumps boxes of olives into vat. “The finished olives are carefully sorted and packed in salt brine in cans, kegs and barrels.” Women workers sorting and packing olives into cans. “The ripe olives in the cans are sterilized by steam.” Cans of olives on truck are rolled into steamer - worker closes door of steamer. “Only a part of the olive crop is canned. Improved machinery crushes the outer pulp of the olives from which the oil is to be extracted.” Machinery in operation. “The crushed pulp is placed in filter bags in the press. 50 gallons of oil are obtained from a ton of olives. Olive oil supplies a necessary food to people living in a hot and arid climate.” Press in operation. “End.” “Ford Educational Library.” [1922]
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