110 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



need which must be contracted for in advance and yon need to know 

 how much labor you need to get the crop in within the time limit. 

 You should not begin harvesting too early for inmatured fruit poorly 

 colored brings a lower price and you do not want to be so late that 

 the fruit mellows up or drops from the trees before it is gathered or is 

 caught by a freeze. I will relate a little experience of mine in the 

 latter connection. In the autumn of ]911 I had a heavy crop on a 

 hundred and twenty-acre orchard. The season Avas rainy and we lost 

 six days during October which put across the line into November with 

 our picking. The last days of October or first of November brought 

 a severe freeze when the mercury went to 20 or 12 below freezing. This 

 lasted two nights and one day. The apples were frozen absolutely solid 

 through and through on the trees. As I had over 12,000 bushels all 

 WilloAv Twigs unharvested it was an anxious time for me. The second 

 day was cloudy with the temperature at 34 degrees just above freezing 

 and the following night it remained at the same point for we were 

 enough interested to note the temperature. This continued up until 

 noon of the third day when the frost was out of the apples and we 

 proceeded with our i)icking. These apples kept perfectly and were 

 sold the next May at ftt.oO per barrel. There was no perceptilde differ- 

 ence between the apples picked before or after the freeze. Two years 

 later my experience was different. We were caught with 1,000 bushels 

 on the trees by an equally severe freeze. The sun came out bright the 

 following morning and by noon the temperature was up to 50 degrees. 

 The apples turned brown and looked like they had been baked. They 

 were good only for vinegar. The variety in both cases were Willow 

 Twigs. 



In packing apples it is a good plan to use a corrugated paper cap 

 on botli ends of the barrel. In addition a Avaxed paper next to the ap- 

 ples on the face end, stenciled with the name of the grower and his 

 post office address. Use uniform sized apples for the face as much 

 as possible and of good color. The face is permitted to be 20% better 

 thiju the contents. Drop facing I consider best for the second layer 

 rather than double facing as it holds the face ai)ple in position better 

 and ])resents a more solid face to the buyer when opened. The barrels 

 shoubl be filled uniformly from bottom to top with an even grade of 

 fruit. No reputable packer will attempt any fraud upon the i>urchaser 

 in this respect. In tailing off the barrel preparatory to putting in the 

 head the better way is to face the apples on their side in concentric 

 rings with the color side of the apple up. I would not select these 

 apples as to size or color but let them correctly represent both as they 

 run through the barrel. There can be no objection, however, to your put- 

 ting the colored side of the apple up. We should always look as well as we 

 can and first impressions if good, while not always lasting are desirable 

 in the apple business of inspecting packages. In filling the barrel care 

 must be taken to gently settle the apples into place by shaking the 

 barrel from time to time as it is filled. After the bottom is faced if the 

 corrugated cap is placed on the apples with the smooth side next to 

 the apples and the head pressed into place, it is well to use headliners 

 to secure the heads and not trust to the use of nails alone. Have some 



