Appendix. 201 



apiece, but this can be reduced by ordering in carload lots. Some fruit 

 unions obtain them of good quality as low as 8 14 cents. The cheaper 

 grades are frequently made of stuff so unsound that they are dear at 

 any price. 



Use only boxes that are freshly made up and material that is bright 

 and clean. No man that takes pride in his business or cares for his 

 reputation will pack fruit in old or soiled boxes. When hauling to 

 market throw a tai*paulin over the load to keep off rain and dust. If 

 box material is carried over from one year to another, it should be 

 carefully covered to keep it clean and bright. 



PACKING HOUSES AND FITTINGS. 



A permanent packing house is a convenience too often dispensed with 

 by gi'owers, who make shift to pack in the open air where any inclement 

 weather brings operations to a stop, and the packers are at best sub- 

 jected to much discomfort from chilly mornings and evenings. The 

 house may be cheaply made, but should have plenty of windows (which 

 may even be covered with cloth), as the autumn days are short. A 

 ■cheap but desirable construction is a lean-to against a south wall, 

 securing the maximum of heat and light. The comfort of packers has 

 a direct effect on the quality of the pack, and from a purely business 

 standpoint is worth securing, even when they are working by the 

 piece. Every large gi'ower owes it to his business to have a well-built, 

 light, and comfortable packing house. 



The packing table is the most important item among the furniture of 

 the packing house. One which stands free from the walls is preferable 

 to a shelf or table built against them, as the latter arrangement makes 

 it necessary to interfere with the packer every time the table is replen- 

 ished. The table should be built to hold the apples themselves, not loose 

 boxes of them. Common as the latter fashion is, it is utterly to be 

 •condemned, for the apples ai'e not sufficiently spread out to allow the 

 packer to choose the size he requires, but must be continually pawed 

 over, to the irritation of the packer and the injury of the fruit. I have 

 visited some places where the rattling of the apples in the boxes could 

 be heard rods away; one might almost as well run them through a 

 fanning mill! The common tables or benches partitioned off into com- 

 partments are a shade better, though far inferior to those provided 

 with burlap or canvas bottoms. The best style of table I know of is 

 the one in general use at Hood River, Oregon, and illustrated in Figure 

 18. It accommodates two packers and allows free access to the ends for 

 refilling. The favorite size is three by four feet, as it allows any part 

 to be reached by either packer, and yet holds plenty of fruit — that is to 

 say, three or four boxes. A slight examination of the picture shown will 

 enable anyone to construct the table in a satisfactory manner. The 

 full length of the legs is three feet; they come up inside the frame 

 flush with the top, but should be sawed off on a slope inward to 

 prevent the corners bruising the apples through the burlap. The real 



