FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT. 61 



THE APPLE PACKAGE— BOXES OR BARRELS. 



L. C. CAREY, CHARLEVOIX. 



Shall the box supplant the barrel as the standard apple package? 

 This question has confronted the eastern apple growers almost con- 

 tinuously since western apples in boxes began to compete with eastern 

 barrel-packed apples some fifteen years ago. It has nettled the east- 

 erner to see a bushel box of Washington apples sell for $3.00 while his 

 own 3 bushel barrel of the same variety brought only $4.00 on the 

 same market. Knowing that a considerable difference in quality was 

 all in favor of his own fruit the easterner has been inclined to attribute 

 the discrimination in price to the superiority of the box type of pack- 

 age over barrels, while in reality the difference was due — not to type 

 of package — but rather to the superior methods and skill of the west- 

 ern grower in grading and packing. Their great distance from mar- 

 ket and high consequent freight rates necessitated a package that would 

 pack tighter in cars. Boxes have that advantage over barrels. More- 

 over, they knew that inferior fruit could not possibly pay the high 

 transportation charges, compete with eastern apples and still return a 

 profit. Consequently, they began a scheme of growing — so intensive — 

 that today an orchard is considered unsuccessful that produces less 

 than 90% fancy fruit. Attendant with this growing scheme — there 

 has been developed a skill in grading and packing — nearly 100% effi- 

 cient. Couple with this the fact that the west lacks the hardwood 

 material for making barrels, and does possess ideal wood for boxes, 

 and yon have the reasons for the distinctive western apple box, in which 

 uniformity is imperative. 



Contrast this situation, if you will, to that in the east, where, it is 

 safe to say, less than 30% of the total apple crop is fancy or No. 1, 

 because of less intensive, cultural methods, where an inherent habit of 

 using "facers" and "fillers" still persists, resulting in more or less 

 careless grading and packing, where transportation rates are compara- 

 tively minor considerations and where there is barrel material a plenty, 

 and scarcely no box wood, if any, and you have the reasons for the 

 characteristic eastern apple barrel, in which no uniformity is required 

 and also the reasons for the eight failures out of every ten attempts 

 to pack exclusively in boxes east of the Mississippi. 



Each type of package is thus seen to be the result of existing condi- 

 tions, each perfectly adapted to the style of fruit produced and to the 

 market they expect to supply ; and the discriminating prices are paid 

 for the superior skill and enterprise of the western grower, rather than 

 for type of package used. 



So much for history ; as to the future, the trend, following the tend- 

 ency of the times in other commodities, is all toward the smaller pack- 

 age. But so long as there exists the great middle class of people and 

 the relatively small wealthy class, there will be need of the two types 

 of packages with their respective "shuffle" and "speciaized" pack. The 



