BETTER FRUIT 



Pioneer Horticultural Journal of the Pacific Northwest 



Entered as second-class matter April 22, 1918, at the Postoffice at Portland, Oregon, under act 



of Congress of March S, 1879 



Volume XVI 



Portland. Oregon, October, 19"21 



NUIMBER 4 



The Entree of the Basket Into Fancy Appledom 



By the Editor 



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As the frice of fine quality a f pies 

 has risen and a greater number of 

 fersons are now living in apartments 

 and other quarters zvhere the storage 

 space is restricted, the demand for 

 something in the zi'ay of a container 

 that zvould be larger than the old-time 

 ■peck measure and yet something 

 smaller than the barrel has been grad- 

 ually grooving. In the Far West this 

 demand has been supplied by the ex- 

 tra fancy or fancy selected packed 

 box. Boxes, however, by reason of 

 cost, are not azmilable in many of the 

 apple growing sections of the country 

 in addition to the fact that they are 

 not as well known or as well liked as 

 baskets, which can be put to many 

 uses after they are emptied of their 

 fruits. Another reason for the greater 



use of the basket itian formerly for 

 shipping fruit is that it is being more 

 scientifically made — that it permits of 

 a tight, fancy pack and is growoing in 

 all sections of the country as a prac- 

 tical, as well as a show conotainer. 

 The evolution of the old "bushel" 

 basket as a receptacle for the better 

 grade of potatoes to its present status 

 as a container for high grade fruit 

 is due, largely, to the persistence of 

 the Package Sales Corporation, an or- 

 ganization that has advocated its use 

 in and out of season. In fact, much 

 of the data used in connection with 

 the following article was secured 

 from this source and we are present- 

 ing this story to our readers because 

 the use of the basket as an apple con- 

 tainer in the Far West is rapidly in- 

 creasing. 



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AS LH'ING conditions have changed 

 so have the desires of the fruit 

 buying public, not only for better 

 fruit but also for smaller contain- 

 ers. Where formerly apples were only sold 

 in large containers, such as the barrel, they 

 can now be purchased in smaller ones which 

 are far more suited to the needs of the 

 average family. The bushel basket has been 

 found to fill the wants of the consumer be- 

 cause it is not too large or too small. It also 

 gives the buyer a better chance to see what 

 he is getting because of the wide display 

 surface permjssible in this style of con- 

 tainer. The grower who is proud of his 

 fruit has a splendid opportunity of show- 

 ing it to the buyer when in baskets. 



It can be truthfully stated that the buy- 

 ing public is developing a desire not only 

 for a smaller container, but also for con- 

 tainers with good arrangement and proper 

 grading of the contents. There has been a 

 vast improvement in grading and packing 

 in the last few years, but there is still room 

 for bettering existing conditions. It is a 

 trade axiom that the better the "look"' the 

 quicker the "sale," and every enterprising 

 grower realizes this statement to be the 

 truth. 



THE round stave bushel basket has a ca- 

 pacity of 2150.42 cubic inches or 32 

 quarts dry measure. The web is composed 



of 20 staves, 36 inches long and of vary- 

 ing thickness, according to the density of 

 the wood used. This web is so constructed 

 as to form a basket having a height of 

 1 1 ]/i inches, a bottom diameter approx- 

 imately 14 inches and an inside top di- 

 ameter of 17 inches. The staves are 

 securely stapled to the top and center hoops. 

 All staples should be driven through both 

 top hoops and well clinched on the inside. 

 The handles should also be driven through 

 both top hoops, the ends bent upward and 

 against the inside hoop. They must be ex- 

 actly opposite each other. 



In order that the contents of the baskets 

 may arrive on the market in perfect condi- 

 tion it is necessary that the basket be made 

 of sound material, of tight construction and 

 good workmanship. It has been proven to 

 the sorrow of a great many growers that by 

 using weak or poorly constructed baskets the 

 contents have arrived on the market in bad 

 condition and in many instances have failed 

 to arrive at all. It is imperative that well 

 made baskets be used if satisfactory results 

 are to be obtained. 



IN MANY small orchards apples are 

 packed in the orchard. This, however, 

 is not true of most of the large commercial 

 sections where regular packing houses have 

 been built. The fruit, after picking, is 

 brought to these houses and graded and 



sized. Grading consists of removing fruit 

 that is wormy, scabby, misshapen, dirty and 

 otherwise injured so as to render it unfit 

 for high grade packing. 



Sizing refers to the operation, either me- 

 chanically or by hand, of sorting apples into 

 different sizes according to their transverse 

 diameters. A number of mechanical sizers 

 are on the market and used extensively by 

 commercial fruit growers. A few of the 

 best known graders are the Prescott, 

 Starcher, Cutler, Pease and Burke. After 

 the culls have been removed the fruit can 

 be sized into the different grade sizes. 



Where apples are packed on what is 

 known as "(Orchard Run" basis the work 

 is usually done in the orchard. In this case 

 no sizing is done except to remove the very 

 small apples. The only grading is the re- 

 moval of wormy, scabby and decayed fruit, 

 which is usually accomplished as the fruit 

 is picked. The baskets are, of course, jum- 

 ble packed with a smoothing or semi-ring- 

 ing of the face before the cover is put on. 



THERE are two methods of packing ap- 

 ples in basket packages, the jumble 

 and ring pack. The jumble pack consists 

 merely of putting apples into baskets in a 

 haphazard way with no attempt at arrange- 

 ment. Some growers put a face on a jumble 

 pack, while others leave the apples in what- 

 ever position they happen to be after being 

 put into the basket. This latter method 

 should be discouraged in most cases. In the 

 ring pack the fruit is placed in concentric 

 circles, beginning at the bottom of the bas- 

 ket and extending to the top. 



Facing is the arrangement of the fruit 

 on the top of the basket after it has been 

 partly filled. It is this factor alone that 

 determines the appearance or "looks" of 

 the basket. • Looks goes a long way in in- 



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