APPLES 



333 



the person by whose authority the apples 

 were packed and the barrel marked," the 

 barrel shall be deemed to be misbranded, 

 and the negligent person or persons shall 

 be liable to a fine of one dollar for each 

 barrel concerned. 



The requirements of the International 

 Apple Shippers' Association for "No. 1" 

 apples, as adopted by that body in 1895 

 (amended 1897) are as follows: "The 

 standard size * * * shall not be less 

 than two and one-half inches in diameter 

 and shall include such varieties as Ben 

 Davis, Willow Twig, Baldwin, Greening 

 and other varieties of kindred size. The 

 standard for such varieties as Romanite. 

 Russet, Winesap, Jonathan, Missouri 

 Pippin * * * shall not be less than 

 two and one-quarter inches. And further, 

 No. 1 apples shall be at the time of pack- 

 ing practically free from the action of 

 worms, defacement of surface or breaking 

 of skin; shall be hand picked from the 

 ■tree, a bright and normal color and 

 shapely form." The following determin- 

 ing what a No. 2 apple shall be, was 

 adopted by the same body in 1900: "No. 

 2 apples shall be hand picked from the 

 tree. Shall not be smaller than two and 

 one-quarter inches in diameter and of fair 

 color for the variety. The skin must not 

 be broken nor apple bruised, and must be 

 practically free from scab and other de- 

 fects. This grade must be faced and 

 packed with as much care as No. 1 fruit." 



Grading- and Packinsr Table 



The table shown in Pig. 2 is adapted 

 for use either in the orchard or the pack- 

 ing house. "The table in the illustration 

 is six feet long by four feet wide, side 

 eight inches high. Slats in the bottom 

 of the bed are one inch square and are 

 spaced one inch apart. The legs at the 

 lower end are 39 inches long, allowing 

 the bottom of the bed to clear the top 

 of the barrel. The legs at the upper end 

 are 45 inches, giving a six-inch pitch to 

 the table. The apples can easily be in- 

 spected as they roll into the apron and 

 Imperfect ones thrown out. When the 

 apron is filled it can be slowly lowered 

 into the barrel without bruising the fruit. 

 This packing table may be mounted on 



wheels for convenience in orchard work 

 or may be built larger with two funnels 

 allowing two barrels to be filled at once."* 

 This table, w'ithout the bed and sides 

 padded, would not be tolerated in the 

 apple districts of the Northwest. It 

 should be used with a piece of burlap 

 or carpet spread over it that can be 

 shaken frequently to remove the litter, 

 rather than with a slat bottom to allow 

 the twigs and leaves to tall through. 



W'.,.^_U 



Fig. 2. Grading and Packing Table for 



Barrel Packing. 



West Virginia Experiment Station Bulletin 139. 



OPEEATION OF PACKING 



Facing 



In packing a barrel of apples, the pack- 

 age is faced, in order to increase its at- 

 tractiveness. By facing is meant the 

 placing by hand of one layer or more, 

 frequently of two, into the bottom of the 

 barrel, the intention being that when the 

 package is ready for market the bottom 

 shall be marked and considered as the 

 top. To the end that this facing shall 

 present a really attractive appearance, 

 each apple is laid with the stem end 

 down, the stem having been previously 

 cut off with a stemmer; the apples are 

 selected for uniformity of size and color 

 and freedom from serious blemishes and 

 are arranged regularly in concentric cir- 

 cles. The facing apples should as nearly 



• W. H. Alderman. West Virginia E.xperlment 

 Station Bulletin 139, 1912. 



