208 Appendix. 



begin with. Let him spare the grower the anguish of seeing a fine apple- 

 crowded down against the side of the box till the skin slips. 



The way to start the diagonal pack is clearly shown in Figure 5 and 

 7. It becomes still simpler by packing the box from the side, as some 

 do, for then it resolves itself into the offset pack of each row alternating 

 with, or offsetting, its neighbors; but it is much more convenient to 

 work at the end of the box in all styles of packs. The box at the left 

 in Figure 5 shows how to begin a layer of the three-and-one-half-tier 

 pack. The two apples in the left hand corner are first placed diagonally 

 across it, then one snugly in the right hand corner, and a fourth above 

 and at the left of this wedges all securely into place. Then follow two 

 more apples, as in Figure 7, and the layer has advanced for enough so 

 that any one can finish it. In the middle layer two apples were placed 

 across the right instead of the left hand corner, while the bottom layer 

 is identical with the top, as shown, hence each apple in each layer comes 

 opposite a space in the adjacent layer. When finished the box should 

 present the appearance shown by the one at the right in Figure 5. The 

 four-and-one-half-tier pack is started by placing an apple in each lov/er 

 corner and one in the middle; two are then pushed down as far as they 

 will go on either side of the middle apple, and followed by three more 

 apples, corresponding in position to the first three, and so on until the 

 layer is completely finished. 



The offset pack is so simple that no description is necessary. The 

 apples of the second layer should alternate with those of the first, that 

 is, the first apple will be placed in the lower right hand corner, bringing 

 it over the vacancy left by the bottom layer. 



There is still one important feature of a good pack that has not been 

 mentioned, and that is the crown or bulge in the center. This is a 

 bugbear for the beginner, as it is difficult to make the end rows come 

 flush with the ends of the box, or slightly above them, and yet have the 

 center about an inch and a half higher. To secure a proper crown it is 

 often necessary to turn part of the apples in the middle layer, or layers, 

 flatwise, if being packed on cheek, or vice versa, yet skillful selection of 

 the larger apples for the center will usually make this unnecessary. In 

 the case of very large apples it is sometimes impossible to bring them 

 low enough at the ends, as in the box at the right in Figure 15, and then 

 it becomes necessary to lay a cleat at each end under the cover. Fre- 

 quent resort to this, however, is strong evidence of faulty packing, and 

 is not permitted by most growers. The box at the left is properly 

 crowned. A crown of an inch and a half gives a bulge at top and bot- 

 tom, when the cover is nailed on, of three-quarters of an inch, which 

 experience has shown to be about right (Figure 16.) A greater bulge 

 means too severe pressure on the fruit; a less, too great danger of its 

 becoming slack. In a properly packed box the apples in each layer 

 should be so snugly fitted into each place that when the hand is place J 

 upon them and an attempt made to move them back and forth, there- 



