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essential that a man be able to size an apple properly, else he will never make a 

 packer. 



Eegardiug the best time to grade, some prefer to do part or most of it in the ' 

 orchard as the fruit is picked, while others prefer to do it all in the packing house. 

 The latter method is probably the better, as it entails less handling of the fruit. 

 The apples can be graded directly on to the packing tables. For this same reason, 

 grading in the packing house is probably more economical. 



In grading, remove all culls, that is, fruit with broken skins, worm holes, and 

 other bad blemishes, and at the same time grade to color. 



As yet, it would hardly pay in Ontario to adopt the complicated system of 

 assorting to sizes used in various sections of the Northwest States. Undoubtedly, 

 it would be less difficult for packers, especially inexperienced ones, to pack properly 

 if all the apples were assorted and graded beforehand. And it may also be pre- 

 sumed that a sorter, having only the one thing to perform, might be able to do it 

 better and quicker than the packer, who would have to pack the apples at the same 

 time. However, the sizing need not be carried to extremes. 



If the packers are required to do the grading as they pack, much better work 

 can be done if they have a large amount of fruit to pick from. In packing, this 

 would mean a modification of the bench system or else the adoption of tables. Of 

 the two, the bench method is to be preferred here, as there will be less handling 

 over of the fruit; but the packers must be expert. 



Grading Machines. 



The need for mechanical help to get apples perfectly graded as to size has 

 brought out many inventions which are distinct aids. The fruit is automatically 

 sized and delivered to the packing table. However, these machines appear to have 

 one fault in common ; tender varieties of apples are very often bruised to some 

 extent. Also the mechanical graders cannot of course be made so as to grade for 

 color and freedom from blemishes. It therefore becomes necessary to grade the 

 fruit for these qualities before using the machine, or else have the packer do it. 



Another objection to the grading machine is that they grade the fruit almost 

 too uniformly, and the apples being all of one size the packer finds difficulty in 

 securing the proper bulge. It then becomes necessary to use two or possibly three 

 of the grades as sized by the machine. 



For the small grower the price of a good machine is probably out of reason. The 

 proper place for a grading machine is in a packing house where large quantities of 

 the harder varieties of apples are being packed. 



Wiping. 



Regarding the wiping of apples there has been more or less discussion. The 

 advent of the codling moth has made spraying imperative, and it is this spray that 

 is chiefly objectionable. But, by many, the advisability of wiping has been seri- 

 ously questioned, as the natural bloom on the fruit undoubtedly aids in keeping 

 quality. On the other hand, packers of fancy fruit can show good reasons why all 

 spraying efi'ects, etc., should be removed, for it must be admitted that an apple, 

 after being wiped, presents a better appearance, to the average buyer at least, than 

 6ne that has not been wiped. 



The expense is small and the wiping is easily done if the fruit is wiped imme- 

 diately after being picked. Some varieties of apples, if allowed to stand for any 



