Winter Meeting. 211 



age of fruit as excellence in the individual specimen, and it is a 

 question if in the near future we do not find apples graded for size, 

 as well as peaches and oranges. This work must be done carefully, 

 for high quality apples which come through the grades apparently 

 without blemish usually show discolored spots in a tew days. The 

 methods of packing must depend very greatly upon the market 

 which is to be reached, upon the quality of the fruit and upon the 

 package which is to be used. In the east and Mississippi valley 

 states most of the apples are packed in barrels, while in Colorado 

 and on the Pacific Coast the so-called bushel box is the standard 

 package. To facilitate handling fruit for packing, a sorting table 

 should be used, which should be about waist high, four feet wide 

 and long enough to accommodate the desired number of sorters, or 

 what is known as a running table, with a chute, with an apron at 

 the mouth of the chute for letting the apples down into the barrel 

 carefully. When baskets are used, they should be half-bushel 

 hinge handle baskets, so they can be let down into the barrel and 

 the fruit turned out without bruising. The barrel should set on a 

 solid plank, so it can be shaken well at least three times while being 

 filled. The facing is done by placing by hand concentric rows of 

 apples, with the stem end of the apple facing the head of the barrel. 

 These apples in all cases should fairly represent the approximate 

 quality of the entire package. After the facing is done, the apples 

 may be turned carefully into the barrel from a round bottomed, 

 swing-handled basket, or let down with the apron at the mouth of 

 the chute. It is not necessary to face the upper head of the barrel, 

 the person heading usually adjusting the apples on the head end in 

 order to get the package as tight and secure as possible. All barrels, 

 after being headed, should be plainly stencilled on the face end at 

 once with variety and grade, to avoid future mistakes. 



In passing to the second part of our subject, I would call atten- 

 tion to the fact that what we have already said lays the foundation 

 for successful marketing, becoming as a whole the principal detail 

 of this part of the work, leaving only the familiarizing ourselves 

 with the requirements, supply and 'demand, and conditions of the 

 markets we desire and of necessity must use, in working out the 

 further important details of the subject. Under the present system 

 of marketing our apple crop, the grower should inform himself as 

 best he can under the present unorganized condition, as to the ex- 

 tent of the crop throughout the country. In acquiring this infor- 

 mation, he does not need make the mistake of taking for granted all 

 sellers are honest and all buyers thieves, nor vice versa, but make 



