July. IQ20 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 5 



Yakima Valley, Washington, Apple Packing Houses 



WITH the ever increasing cost of 

 of packing and the serious car 

 shortages we may expect, it is 

 very evident that we must pay more 

 attention to our packing and ware- 

 housing facilities in our fruit growing 

 districts in order to do all possible to 

 cut down the expense of handling and 

 to protect the fruit until it is shipped. 

 As one looks over the various types 

 of warehouses and the methods of con- 

 struction he is impressed with the lack 

 of a standard. In many houses we find 

 details of poor construction and ar- 

 rangement while in others we may 

 learn of points of interest and benefit. 

 Frequently in attempting to keep down 

 the cost of building the owners have 

 sacrificed economy in handling. Some 

 growers, under special conditions may- 

 be able to get along with a tent or shed 

 but as a rule experience has shown that 

 cheap construction does not pay. 



In the Yakima Valley, Washington, 

 we have two main kinds of warehouses 

 and packing houses, those on the farm 

 and those at the shipping points used 

 by the growers' organizations and deal- 

 ers. In this county we have cold stor- 

 age for about one-fourth of the apple 

 crop and some kind of common storage 

 for about one-half of the crop. Among 

 the many examples of packing and stor- 

 age houses we may select a few as 

 typical of the better class of more re- 

 cent construction. 



The first illustration shows a popular 

 type combining a warehouse and barn. 

 This building was erected about three 

 years ago by Mr. C. M. Carlos on his 

 forty-acre orchard near Selah and 

 would now cost about $7,000. The 

 apple storage part is 40x60 feet with a 

 capacity of 11,000 boxes and is of hol- 

 low tile construction with a concrete 

 floor and air ducts leading to the cupa- 

 los. The air intake is through troughs 

 in the floor which have water in the 

 bottom and a grating on top. By proper 

 management of these vents a fairly 

 good temperature has been maintained 

 in the storage room. There are, how- 

 ever, only four of these intakes when 

 twice as many would be much more de- 

 sirable in order to increase the air 

 circulation. The hay loft overhead 

 holds forty tons and the lean-to on 

 one side is used at one end for a barn 

 and at the other for a packing house 

 through which 200 boxes a day may be 

 handled. It would be better if this 

 room were larger and had a skylight in 

 the roof. The storage room has the 

 advantage of being separate from the 

 packing room and has double doors and 

 windows. 



This type of building is fairly popu- 

 lar but with the increased use of tract- 

 ors, the many reports of poisoned or- 

 chard hay and the agitation to work 

 more of the alfalfa into the soil, we may 

 expect its popularity to be transferred 

 to a warehouse without the barn fea- 

 ture. 



The second illustration covers a very 

 good packing and storage house built 



By C. L. Robinson 



by Mr. A. F. Conlon on his fifty-acre 

 orchard also near Selah. It is perhaps 

 more expensive than most growers 

 would build for though originally built 

 for $4300 it would now cost about 

 $7000. It is also of hollow tile con- 

 struction and has the advantage of be- 

 ing built on a side hill where the sec- 

 ond story is readily accessible. Its ca- 

 pacity for storage is about 20,000 boxes 

 but the upper story is usually used for 

 sorting and packing. The basement has 

 an earth floor with provisions for wet- 

 ting it and with a grate flooring two 

 feet above. Twelve adjustable air in- 

 takes and good ducts leading to the sky- 

 light provide for circulation. An inter- 

 esting feature is a telescope air shaft 

 through the second story which may be 

 put out of the way during the day when 

 the floor is used for sorting and pack- 

 ing. The building is to be equipped 

 with an elevator and now uses an end- 

 less belt grader and a Cowan Lift for 

 trucking fifty boxes of fruit at one 

 time. 



The third illustration is of the ex- 

 tremely simple type. It is of very 

 cheap construction, in fact too much so 

 to be desirable, but would be practic- 

 ally frost proof, if the roof, doors and 

 windows were doubled. A very even 

 temperature was maintained a year ago 



for early cooling and storage by good 

 management in opening the large 

 double doors at the near end and a 

 smaller one at the opposite end at night 

 and closing them in the morning. Too 

 little attention was paid to proper light 

 and convenience for sorting and pack- 

 ing. 



The fourth illustration shows a house 

 of the community type operated by the 

 Horticultural Union which will handle 

 3,000 to 4,000 boxes per day. The packed 

 fruit is received at the doors on the 

 left and the unpacked fruit at the con- 

 veyor lift at the right center. These 

 arrangements make for little delay to 

 the man bringing the fruit. The sort- 

 ing and packing room is on the second 

 floor where skylight? are available and 

 the roller conveyor system carries the 

 fruit to all parts of the house. Here 

 1200 boxes are packed per day without 

 the aid of a mechanical grader, and the 

 building will care for 55 cars of apples 

 in common storage. 



Some of the medium sized houses use 

 a cheap frame section for their packing 

 room and an insulated storage room of 

 better construction. Too many houses 

 use a pent-house for overhead light 

 when a skylight would be cheaper, give 

 better light and keep the room warmer 

 during cold weather. Some houses are 



A Combination Apple Storage House and Barn. 



