November, 1921 



BETTER FRUIT 



Fage 27 



Sykes' Service Bulletin 



VoL 1 



Portland, Oregon, November, 1921 



No. 3 



Why Pack Sykes? 



Does the hit-and-miss practice of close paper 

 wraps, with corners of boxes stuffed with pa- 

 per, or frequently a small apple wedged in to 

 make a tight layer — produce the correct pack? 

 What is the answer — if you have SUPERIOR 

 fruit — which should be sized correctly and 

 packed correctly — if you expect It to keep in 

 storage? 



SUPERIOR fruit has a value. Is it not 

 false economy to pack superior fruit as cheaply 

 as possible — thereby taking all of the risks of 

 common or cold storage? 



Sykeing Superior Apples 



Does it pay to pack GOOD fruit In the 

 cheapest manner possible — with the cheapest 

 wraps known — and under a hit-and-miss 

 practice? 



Have you a right to expect good RESULTS 

 from such a pack? Is It not logical that you 

 would get BETTER results from CORRECT 

 sizing and CORRECT pack? 



Until you use Sykes Safety Separator Wraps, 

 you will never know how well your fruit will 

 keep. 



What Is Sykes Pack? 



The Sykef Safct>' Separator Apple Wrap is 

 a moderately thick flexible sheet of wood pulp, 

 ci'^ to fit the standard apple box. 



Each layer or tier of fruit is separated from 

 the one above and below by one of these 

 Separator wraps. Each ilze of fruit has a spe- 

 cial wrap insuring the proper position of the 

 fruit in packing as well as preventing the In- 

 dividual apples from touching each other. 



A series of cups are stamped In a mathemat- 

 ically correct position, according to the size of 

 the fruit. A series of cuts in each cup pro- 

 vides tongues of paper between the Individual 

 fruits of each tier — the body of the wrap it- 

 self separating the layers or tiers — hence the 

 name "Separator." 



This is the SYKES SYSTEM— an Inter- 

 locking of correctly sized fruit, correctly 

 packed, forming one solid structure of fruit, 

 the Individual apples being separated from 

 each other by these cuts or tongues of the cups. 

 If there be any shrinkage during storage, each 

 apple retains its position, the Interlocking prin- 

 ciple preventing any bruising, hence helping 

 to prevent any decay. 



How^ to Pack Sykes 



The fundamental principle of the "Sykes 

 System" is summed up in the term "bridging 

 the arch" — In other words, an INTER- 

 LOCKED structure. A special wrap is pro- 

 vided for each standard size of fruit. If the 

 wrong wrap is used, the experienced Sykes 

 packer detects the mistake quickly. If the fruit 

 has been sized wrong, he quickly catches that 

 error. 



The first layer or tier MUST be placed COR- 

 RECTLY in position. It is the FOUNDA- 

 TION of the "Sykes System." 



The box is set flat on a flat table. A Sepa- 

 rator wrap is placed in the bottom of the box. 

 The first tier of apples is placed, blossom end 

 down, in the cups of the wrap (the number 

 and arrangement of cups varying with the sl^e 

 of the fruit). It takes but a few moments to 

 place the first tier CORRECTLY. If the 

 fruit has been properly sized, the individual 

 apples will not touch each other? the spaces 

 between the apples forming uniform triangles. 



When the first tier has been placed, a Sepa- 

 rator wrap Is placed over the tier. The cuns 

 nest into the triangular spaces formed by the 

 apples of the first tier. The fruit of the second 

 layer is then placed In the cups, completing rhe 

 second tier. Again, the apples of the second 

 tier do not touch each other — the spaces be- 

 tween the apples again forming small tri- 

 angles. 



The third Separator wrap is placed In posi- 

 tion. The cups again nest into the triangular 

 spaces. This process continues until next to the 

 top tier Is in position. 



A soft wood board, which will fit easily Into 

 the box, Is used to press down the fruit uni- 

 formly — light pressure In the center, heavier 

 on ends — LOCKING each tier into the trian- 

 gular spaces In the tier below — in the layman's 

 words, "briding the arch." 



The top tier Is then placed In position, 

 giving the required bulge at the center. The 

 experienced packer soon learns how to make a 

 finished job In placing the top tier or facing 

 the box. To protect the top tier another Sepa- 

 rator wrap is placed in position and the lid 

 nailed fast. 



Every tier or layer is thus uniformly wedged 

 Into the spaces below, with the exception of the 

 first or bottom tier, which forms the founda- 

 tion for the series of arches. 



Oiled Wraps Popular 



Following the several experiments made by 

 Federal experts during the past two seasons, 

 using various oil formulas, the use of oiled 

 wraps appear to be the NEXT step in the evo- 

 lution of Scientific Apple Packing. 



Oiled wraps, it has been proven, reduce the 

 amount of scald in storage — practically all of 

 the experiments have proven most of the claims 

 for oiled wraps. 



At a trifle additional cost, Sykes Safety 

 Separator Wraps, treated with an approved oil 

 preparation, may now be had In limited quanti- 

 ties. Next season there will be an ample supply 

 for all packers. 



The oiled wraps, without doubt, has come 

 to stay — progressive manufacturers are prepar- 

 ing to meet the demand. 



Sykes Pack in Storage 



YAKIMA ARTIFICIAL ICE & COLD 

 STORAGE COMPANY 

 Yakima, Washington 



April 24, 1920. 

 American Paper Co., 

 Seattle, Wash. 



Gentlemen: In reply to your Inquiry regard- 

 ing what we know of the Sykes Pack, and what 

 we consider it, will say our experience wtlh the 

 pack has been with the shipping end only. 



We placed some five different varieties of 

 apples packed with the Sykes pack in storage, 

 so that we could observe how they kept in pack. 



The varieties stored were Romes, Winesaps, 

 Ark Blacks, Spltzenbergs and Delicious. While 

 we still have these In storage, we opened them 

 to make observations on about the sixth of 

 April. 



When opened, we were very agreeably sur- 

 prised with the results. They showed practically 

 no scald and very little decay. 



These varieties, which were out of season, 

 showed up very fine indeed, being hard and 

 fine, much more so than one would expect at 

 this time of year. Where there was any decay, 

 will say that the apples were dry, and the paper 

 of the pack was also dry, no decay having 

 started next to those decayed. 



In fact, we are ready to recommend this 

 form of pack for its long keeping qualities. 



Yours truly, 



Yakima Artificial Ice &. 



Cold Storage Company 



Sykes System 



The Sykes Principle is that all round fruits 

 should be packed In a manner forming ma- 

 thematically correct triangles and arches. This 

 calls for the CORRECT SIZING of fruit so 

 that a certain number pack may be secured 

 without having any waste space on the one 

 hand, or without crowding the fruit, on the 

 other. 



"Sizing" under the Sykes System is not done 

 under the iron-clad rule which has been in com- 

 mon use for years In packing round fruit. 

 Under Sykes System sizes are governed solely 

 by the dimensions and the shape of the carrier. 

 NO OTHER system In packing follows this 

 rule — this Is one of the chief reasons why 

 scientific packers MUST eventually accept and 

 ADOPT the Sykes System. 



If your supply house cannot furnish you with 

 Sykes Safety Separator Wraps NOW — please 

 notify Better Fruit at once — and your order 

 will be promptly filled. 



EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTORS SYKES WRAPS 



BLAKE-McFALL CO., Portland, Oregon 

 AMERICAN PAPER CO.. Seattle, Wash. 



SPOKANE PAPER & STATIONERY CO., Spokane, Wash. 

 PACIFIC FOLDING BOX FACTORY, San Francisco 



