A shoulder harness has been devised to hold 2 cartons into which 

 the picker places the Mcintosh apples. Since the fruit are sold as 

 orchard i^un apples, no grading is attempted other than instructing 

 pickers to avoid undersized, misshapen, or damaged apples. 



Two years of testing in 16 supermarkets indicated that sales 

 increased and that in-store labor requirements were reduced. Average 

 weekly apple sales, during the 3-month test period, increased 45 per 

 cent. The test period was of insufficient duration to determine the 

 extent of repeat sales of apples in the quarter-bushel cartons, however. 



EDITOR'S NOTE - Pallet handling of fruit from the orchard to the store 

 is the basic feature of this apple mai'keting method. Also, the quarter- 

 bushel cartons are attractive and easy to palletize. Tliis approach 

 is somewhat comparable to harvest time store delivery by some Massachu- 

 setts growers of orchard-run Mcintosh in peach baskets. Under the 

 Massachusetts Apple Grading Law, orchard-run fruit must be marked as 

 "Unclassified". The term "Unclassified" is not a grade in itself, but 

 is used to indicate that no grade has been used. 



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POMOLOGICAL PAMGRAPH 



Hand Packing From Bulk Boxes - The convenience of bulk boxes in the 

 harvest and storage operation is well established. The investment in 

 a water dumper, grading machine, and in many instances a new packing 

 shed, has discouraged growers considering bulk boxes. A few growers 

 are hand packing from bulk boxes and are satisfied with the operation 

 as a means of taking advantage of the convenience of bulk boxes with- 

 out involving a considerable financial investment in packing equipment. 

 The writer is of the opinion more growers should consider hand packing 

 from bulk boxes. 



- - William J. Lord 



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