Appendix. 20"; 



corners when the bottom bulges, a plait is folded into each sheet about 

 six inches from the end. Packers do this very deftly by catching the 

 paper at the edges so as to turn a fold into it, and crease it by drawing 

 it swiftly across the knee. The plaits lie along the corners and provide 

 plenty of ■ slack. Next a "layer paper," consisting of a piece of thin 

 but soft and spongy cardboard just the size of the box, is laid in the 

 bottom. Then hang the paper hod on the edge of the box, if the apples 

 are to be wrapped, and you are ready to put in the first layer of fruit. 

 The construction of the hod for holding wrapping papers 'nay be readily 

 seen from Figure 7. To right-angled hooks in the edge engage the edge 

 of the box, and a bracket beneath supports it against the side. It is by 

 far the most convenient device for the purpose. To assist in picking up 

 the papers, packers usually wear a rubber finger stall on the thumb 

 or first finger. Practice enables them to wrap the fruit very rapidly. 

 An apple is picked up in one hand while the other reaches for a paper 

 (Figure 19, packer at left), the two are slapped together, as it were, and 

 with a single dexterous twist the loose edges are gathered into a little 

 bunch over the stem. It seems to take scarcely longer to wrap the fruit 

 than to place it in the box unwi-?.pped, so quick and continuous is the 

 motion of wrapping and depositing in the box. Papers 10x10 inches 

 are adequate for all but the largest apples. Frequently growers stamp 

 their name on the wrappers, thus advertising it more surely, since 

 middlemen sometimes paste their own box label over that of the pro- 

 ducer. Many deem it unnecessary to wrap, and for many local markets 

 it doubtless is, but for the Eastern and export trade it is all but indis- 

 pensable. The wrappers make eff'ective cushions, help to retain the 

 aroma of the fi-uit if stored, and take up slack in case of shrinkage. 

 They also impress the buyer with the fact that extra care has been 

 given the product, and hence attract the best trade. The advisability 

 of using layer papers is more open to question. They are not at present 

 in very general use. California growers look upon them with disfavor, 

 but at Hood River they are in universal use. In Washington they are 

 seldom used. In the diagonal and offset packs they make an admirable 

 springy cushion for each apple, as is well shown in the middle box in 

 Figure 5, from which the side has been removed. In the straight packs 

 this advantage disappears, but as an absorbent and in preventing the 

 spread of decay the layer papers are highly effective, especially when 

 wrappers are not used. The manner of putting up the straight pack is 

 too obvious to need much description, though the judgment to know 

 whether the apples on the table will go best into this or one of the di- 

 agonal packs is something that must be gained by experience. The 

 apples may of course be graded so closely beforehand that each lot will 

 pack into one size and style, but this is laborious and unnecessary with 

 skillful packers, who from a large table choose swiftly and almost in- 

 stinctively the right size. The apples should fit very snugly, yet if an 

 apple at the end of a row has to be crowded in by main strength, either 

 the packer has a poor eye for size or did not choose the right pack to 



