PICKING AND PACKING APPLES. 



'SE ladders of proper length to reach 

 well up to the top of the tree. Use 

 half-bushel baskets with hooks on 

 ^ji^ handles. Be very careful in hand- 

 ling ladders. Commence picking about ten 

 days before all the apples on the trees are 

 ripe, and (in red varieties, especially Rome 

 Beauties) only pick those that are of a good 

 red color and would be likely to drop before 

 all would do to pick — say about one-fourth 

 of the apples. This saves the ripest and 

 lightens up the tree. In about ten days, or 

 at the usual time of commencing, pick the 

 orchard over again and take at least half 

 this time of the best colored apples. 



Then, in about ten days, commence the 

 third and last picking, and by this time and 

 mode of picking the apples will have grown 

 and colored up so they will be about all 

 good, salable apples and the increase in 

 color and in size of the apples will pay for 

 all the extra work and give you a handsome 

 profit besides. 



I take my barrels to the orchard and fill 

 them from the baskets as they are brought 

 from the ladders, putting the baskets down 

 in the barrels and turning them over with 

 great care. Haul them to the barn imme- 

 diately and not let the sun shine on them or 

 let them get wet. Store the barrels on a 



dirt floor, the best because coolest and 

 dampest. When you want to pack them 

 have a table about ten feet long by three 

 wide, with side boards about eight inches 

 high. Line the table with carpet. It need 

 not be Brussels. Pour out three barrels on 

 the table at a time. With two men to sort, 

 use six baskets. Make at least three 

 grades of apples, putting the very largest 

 in one basket and the medium size and the 

 good colored ones that are a little below 

 that size in another basket. Put the small 

 and the culls in another basket. In filling 

 the barrels with the different grades, pick 

 out nice, smooth, well colored apples and 

 " set " or "face " the heads of the barrels 

 with them, leaving the very largest apples 

 of each grade to fill in the middle of the 

 barrels, so that if the buyer turns out a 

 barrel he finds the best apples in the center 

 of the barrel. Fill the barrels up and level 

 the apples to the top of the staves. Press 

 the head in so that not an apple will move 

 in the barrel. Nail hoops well and turn the 

 barrel over and put your name on the other 

 head with the variety of apples and number 

 of grade. If you pack and grade thus you 

 can always find market as soon as your 

 name is known. — Fruit Trade Journal. 



RED APPLES, WELL PACKED, WANTED IN GERMANY. 



Edward Jacobs & Sons, Hamburg, write 

 under date of Aug. lo : "The home crop 

 is more abundant than last year, but the 

 demand for American and Canadian apples 

 increases year by year, and we hav^e everj' 

 reason to believe that good average prices 

 will be made. The red varieties are in 



most request. Very few Greenings and 

 Russets are inquired after, so we should not 

 advise too many of the latter sorts. 



" We must impress upon all shippers to 

 see that the fruit is carefully graded and 

 that the apples are put up in a manner that 

 they arrive in good order and not slack." 



