STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 165 



careful grading. Box packing tables can be obtained through 

 a number of the experiment stations and once the style of pack 

 for a given size of fruit is learned, the work becomes fairly 

 easy and is a pleasure to the packers. Home help can soon be 

 broken in to the work, though it will require considerable prac- 

 tice to acquire speed in handling the wrappers. In West Vir- 

 ginia, we have found expert Florida packers who come to our 

 section to pack peaches very efficient for box apple packing. 

 Being skilled in the wrapping and packing of tomatoes and or- 

 anges, they quickly learn the various apple packs and acquire 

 good speed with a single day's practice. These packers work 

 their way northward after the tomato season is over in late 

 spring in Florida. The usual wages paid these packers is two 

 dollars per day with board and lodging and railroad fare one 

 way from the point at which they last worked. 



Box packing calls for wrappers, box lining paper, layer paper, 

 labels, a convenient packing table and a box press. It will not 

 pay one to attempt box packing on any extended scale without 

 all necessary supplies and equipment. 



Within recent years there has been considerable agitation in 

 eastern apple growing sections relative to the box versus the 

 barrel for apple packing. In reality there should be no contro- 

 versy. Tender fleshed varieties of high quality are better 

 adapted to box packing than to barrel packing. On the other 

 hand, firm fleshed apples of only fair quality are best suited for 

 barrel packing. Whether to use boxes or barrels is a question 

 for the individual grower to decide. If he finds he can realize 

 more for his apples packed in boxes than in barrels, then the 

 box is the package for him to use. This past season we packed 

 our Wealthy^ Jonathan and Grimes Golden in boxes to very good 

 advantage. When it came to York Imperial and Ben Davis 

 we dropped the box and used the barrel as these varieties did 

 not go well in boxes. The barrel commends itself highly to the 

 man who has large quantities of medium grade fruit to handle 

 and who must depend upon inexperienced help for packers. 

 Doubtless the barrel will continue to be the package generally 

 used for the great bulk of eastern grown apples. 



Marketing is one of the greatest problems which confront the 

 average apple grower. Growers not infrequently produce good 

 crops of well grown fruit and yet fail to realize profitable re- 



