358 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



the number is used, the tier rarely ap- 

 pearing. An increasing number of per- 

 sons believe that the contusion frequent- 

 ly arising from the use of the term tier 

 warrants its complete abandonment. Cer- 

 tainly small, medium, large, would ex- 

 press as much. Apple dealers are be- 

 ginning to identify by the actual counts 

 rather than by any name classifying 

 them. 



STYLES OF PACK 

 Jumble Method 

 Apples are packed in boxes accord- 

 ing to the jumble and the layer methods. 

 The jumble method is only a modification 

 of the barrel pack. It has been used 

 chiefly in Colorado, and is sometimes 

 called the "Colorado" pack. In this pack, 

 two layers are first placed into the box 

 stem end down, in what is called the 

 three-two order. (See three-two pack.) 

 The box is then poured full, and the top 

 arranged as regularly as possible, stem 

 end up. When nailed, the box is re- 

 versed, the side which was packed first 

 being considered as the top. Apples 

 packed thus are never wrapped, although 

 the boxes are usually lined. The apples 

 are rarely graded so closely for size as 

 where the layer pack is used. The ad- 

 vantages of this method are: (1) its 

 cheapness and (2) the rapidity with 

 which the packing is accomplished. The 

 objections are: (1) it requires a larger 

 box for the same weight of apples than 

 the layer method; (2) the apples can- 

 not be given the advantages of wrapping; 

 (3) there is less incentive toward secur- 

 ing uniformity of size; (4) the interior 

 of the package does not present so pleas- 

 ing and finished an appearance, from 

 which it might he inferred that the value 

 of the apples does not warrant care in 

 packing them. 



Layer Method 

 The two types of the layer pack are 

 the square and the diagonal, or "dia- 

 mond." The advantages and disadvan- 

 tages of the layer pack are inversely those 

 of the jumble pack. In the square pack 

 the rows of apples run parallel to the 

 edges of the box in all directions. In 

 the diagonal pack the rows run diagonal- 



ly from one side of the box toward the 

 opposite side in all directions. The ob- 

 jection to the square pack is that in it 

 one apple bears directly against another, 

 both crosswise and from top to bottom 

 through the box; so that when pressure 

 is brought against the top, bottom or side 

 of the box, it causes a direct pressure 

 throughout the rows, with bruises as the 

 result. The advantage of the diagonal 

 pack Is that in it each apple fits into the 

 interstice between other apples, and when 

 pressure is brought to bear upon it, in- 

 stead of forcing itself directly against 

 another apple, it tends to shove the other 

 apples aside and make its way between 

 them, these other apples tending to shove 

 their way between still others, and so 

 on; so that no direct pressure results, but 

 a modified one. This explains why the 

 diagonal pack has superseded the square. 



Diagonal Pack 



There are six possible forms of the 

 diagonal pack: Two-one, two-two, three- 

 two, three-three, four-three, four-four. 

 The three-three and four-four packs are 

 called "offset" packs. In these are also 

 distinct rows running crosswise of the 

 box. These rows begin alternately at 

 either side of the box, ending with a space 

 at the opposite side, hence the term "off- 

 set." The objections to the offset pack 

 are that it leaves large holes at the side 

 of the box, from which point the box is 

 opened by the buyer for inspection; also 

 that its use tends toward contusion in 

 packing, by multiplicity of styles. The 

 same apples pack well in the three-two 

 and two-two packs; except in the case of 

 some small apples, when the three-three 

 pack is needed. The only layer packs 

 now sanctioned by the best usage in the 

 Northwest, are the two-one, the two-two, 

 the three-two, and a few small sizes of 

 the three-three pack. 



Two-One Pack 



To begin the two-one pack, place an 

 apple in the lower left hand corner of the 

 box, then one in the lower right hand 

 corner, then a third between the two. 

 They will be of such a size that the third 

 will not slip toward the lower head of 



