September, 1914 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



217 



one-quarter of an inch to three-eighths of 

 an inch in all. Then from either end 

 there should be a gradual bulge amount- 



g at the middle of the box to about 

 ■ne and one-half inches. Thus, when 



e lid is nailed on thoroughly, there 

 ill be a bulge of practically three- 



urths of an inch each on top and bot- 

 tom. Less bulge is desirable with the 

 straight packs on account of their un- 

 yielding nature. There is no settling of 

 the apples into the crevices as in the 

 diagonal. 



The proper bulge is obtained, in the 

 straight pack especially, by selecting 

 apples that are a trifle smaller for the 

 ends. With apples that are being 

 packed on the cheek, it sometimes be- 

 comes necessary to turn the end rows flat 

 to ensure the desired bulge, and at the 

 same time have the ends low enough. 



In the diagonal pack the small spaces 

 left at the ends of each layer aid ma- 

 terially in securing the proper bulge. 

 This, and pulling the apples tighter to- 

 wards the centre of each layer, is suffi- 

 cient to give the necessary bulge in 

 wrapped fruit. By packing closer in the 

 centre you close the pockets between the 

 apples more, and the next layer will not 

 go so deep down in ,and therefore builds 

 up the centre. The ends being left a 



t little looser, the pockets are opened a 

 little more and the apples drop in fur- 

 ther, and therefore do not build up so 

 nigh. Practice alone will give the know- 

 ledge of just how tight to pack the centre 

 or how loose to pack the ends. 



Then unwrapped, of course, this 

 difference in firmness cannot be made 



raw?; 



2-2 Diagonal Pack; 4 Layer* — 56 Apples 



and the packer has therefore to take 

 advantage of the small irregularities and 

 differences in the sizes of the apples. 

 The difference in size must not be so 

 great as to attract attention. It is es- 

 sential to begin the bulge with the first 

 layer of fruit and to pack each layer with 

 the same end in view, placing the slightly 

 larger or higher apple in the centre rows 

 of each layer. 



The bulge should form an unbroken 

 arch when the box is finished, so that 

 the pressure of the lid will be equally dis- 

 tributed over the fruit. A bulge high 

 in the centre and dropping off to the 

 sides will not be held firmly in place by 

 the cover, causing the whole pack to 

 become loose. 



G'RAI>ING. 



Without good grading, rapid box- 

 packing is impossible. To do good work 

 and to do it rapidly, the packer must 

 have before him an even run of apples in 

 point of size and quality. In fact, pack- 

 ing, simplified, is simply grading and 

 sizing, then placing the fruit in the box 

 so that it fits systematically and snugly. 

 Unless the fruit is sized properly, it can- 

 not be made to fit systematically. 



STEMiONG. 



To prevent the stem of the apple be- 

 ing bent over by the top and bottom of 

 the box and puncturing the fruit, stem- 

 ming is practised to some extent. Part 

 of the stem is simply removed by small 

 pincers especially made for the purpose. 

 It is questionable whether stemming is 

 practical in commercial box packing. In 

 barrel packing, where only a small per- 

 centage of the apples have to be stem- 

 med, namely, the face layer, it is an 

 economic operation. With boxes how- 

 ever, two layers, the top end and the 

 bottom, or half the apples in the box, 

 are stemmed. F'or exhibition fruit this 

 may be permissable, but there seems to 

 be a fairly general impression in Ontario 

 that all box packed fruit should be stem- 

 med. It would be far more economical 

 to pack those varieties of apples that re- 

 quire stemming calyx end up or on their 

 side, for stemming must add consider- 

 ably to the cost of packing. A good 

 packer will pack half a box in the time 

 required to stem the fruit for the top 

 and bottom layers of a box. Thus where 

 he would pack a box and a half when 

 not stemming, he would only pack a box 

 if he were required to stem the fruit. 

 This seems an increase of practically one- 

 third in the cost of packing, which is far 

 too big an expense to overlook. 



Wrapped fruit needs no stemming, as 

 the wrappers prevent any puncturing by 

 the stems. The apples give more when 

 the pressure of the lid is brought to Ijear, 

 tending to obviate any danger. Further- 

 more, since the fruit is wrapped, it mat- 

 ters very little whether the fruit is pack- 

 ed stem-up, calyx-end up, or on its side. 



Offtet Pack; 4 Layer*— 84 Apple* 



In varieties of apples, therefore, in which 

 puncturing is to be expected, the top 

 and bottom layers may be packed calyx- 

 end up or on their cheeks. There is no 

 serious objection to packing apples on 

 their sides even when unwrapped, and 

 there certainly is no objection to packing 

 wrapped fruit so. It is better, however, 

 to pack the apples on their ends when- 

 ever possible and use the side pack only 

 when necessary. 



Time to Wake Up. — On our average 

 Ontario farm the tillage and care of the 

 orchard is the most neglected part of the 

 farm work. Spraying, pruning, culti- 

 vating, the sowing of cover crops, the 

 scraping off the old bark of the trees and 

 grafting worthless trees to good fruit, is 

 exceptional rather than general. — W. J. 

 Baker, Warkworth, Ont. 



Those who admire our fruits as they 

 see them from day to day in boxes, bar- 

 rels and baskets or on the trees, should 

 be able to see in them real l:>eauty and 

 inspire their minds to produce something 

 beautiful, yet simple, in the way of a 

 trade mark, that would perpetuate and 

 increase our trade in Canadian fruits 

 from year to year. 



A man or an association having only 

 a small quantity of fruit to sell can neith- 

 er command the attention of buyers nor 

 make an impression on the market. — 

 Prof. J. W. Crow, Guelph, Ont. 



