WHATS HAPPENED IN THE PAST THIRTY YEARS IN THE APPLE INDUSTRY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 



Packages , 



Thirty years ago the barrel was still in use as a container for apples. 

 In the 1927 annual report of the Society all the grading and packing regulations 

 were for barreled apples. The Western boxed apples were beginning to compete 

 with the Eastern grown fruits on our market. The Eastern growers soon realized 

 that some changes had to be made in packaging and grading if they were going to 

 retain their markets. The Boston Produce box, a solid bottom, shallow, nearly 

 square box in use for vegetables was first tried but was found to be unsatis- 

 factory. Too much bruising occurred to the fruit while being transported and 

 marketed. Next an effort was made to introduce the Western box. The cooperative 

 extension service constructed grading and packing tables which were transported 

 from place to place where demonstrations were held. The Western box was also 

 found wanting. The low percentage of fancy fruit that could be packed in this 

 package, the cost of wrapping and packing, and the lower price received, compared 

 to the Western boxed apples were some of the reasons this pack was not accepted 

 by growers or buyers. 



^ The jumbled pack appeared to be the most desirable package for Eastern 

 grown apples. In order to prevent bruising by packing too tight a pack a box 

 with a capacity of 1 1/5 bushels was first suggested and tried. This box would 

 hold a bushel of fruit level full and could be closed with a corragated card- 

 board cover and two slats. It was soon found that buyers were not satisfied 

 with a slack pack and that some growers in order to make a sale would put up 

 a bulging pack containing 1 1/4 bushels of apples. Giving an extra 1/4 bushel 

 just to make a sale did not appeal to many growers and a compromise was finally 

 made on a box with a capacity of 1 1/8 bushels. This is our standard Eastern 

 apple box today. Recently the shift is to the cell pack in cartons and to the 

 3 and 5 pound polyethylene bag. From a 100 pound container to the 3 pound 

 transparent bag is quite a change in packaging. 



Grading, Packing and Marketing 



New Hampshire apple grading laws date back to 1917 when the first 

 grading regulations were established. In 1927 an effort was made by the New 

 England States to have uniform grading regulations for apples for the entire 

 area. Our grading regulations were modified that year to conform very closely 

 with the United States grades except for color requirements. Color requirements 

 for New Hampshire grades are a little higher than for the Federal grades. The 

 grading laws have been modified slightly during the years to meet changes in 

 marketing conditions. 



Packing apples thirty years ago was done mostly in the orchard. Some 

 growers sold their fruit directly to buyers, others sold to commission merchants 

 and some fruit was stored in large commercial storages. There were nine commission 

 merchants, one exporter and two commercial storage operators advertising in the 

 1927 Annual Report. A common practice was for buyers to visit growers prior 

 to harvest and offer a price for the crop, harvested and graded according to the 

 buyers specifications: the buyer supplying the barrels or containers. These 



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