APPLES 



365 



Where Dispose of the Stem 



According to the best practice ot the 

 apple packers of the Northwest a uniform- 

 ity with regard to the direction in which 

 the stem is to point, is observed in plac- 

 ing the apples in the box. The picking 

 up and wrapping of the apple in such a 

 way that it becomes handy to place it in 

 the box in the proper position becomes 

 automatic. There has been much discus- 

 sion as to whether the apple should be 

 placed stem downward, stem upward, or 

 stem pointing toward the end of the box. 

 In the latter case the pack is called a 

 "cheek" pack, because the cheek of the 

 apple Is presented to view on the top 

 layer, or because the apple is placed in 

 the box on its cheek. A "stem" pack 

 is one where the stem points upward on 

 the top layer. An "end" pack is usually 

 one that exposes the calyx end on the top 

 . layer; though it may mean the same as a 

 "fiat" pack, which term is applied to a 

 pack where the apple is placed with 

 either the stem or the calyx end up. In 

 any flat pack all layers but the top are 

 usually placed with the stem end down, 

 and the comers of the wrapping paper 

 folded over the stem to prevent its punc- 

 turing any apple below it. An "oblique," 

 "tilting," or "disked" pack is one where 

 the apples are placed in the box in an 

 oblique, or tilting, position. The apples 

 may all be leaned from the ends of the 

 box toward the center — especially In ap- 

 ples of a two-two size; all layers may be 

 leaned toward one end of the box, those 

 in the middle at a slightly less angle to 

 form the crown of the pack; or the laj'ers 

 may alternate as to the end ot the box 

 toward which they are inclined. For the 

 three-two size of apples the second method 

 is the most satisfactory. In this it Is 

 well to lay fiat the first three apples in 

 the bottom layer, in order to help in 

 keeping that end of the pack low and to 

 render more easy the start at placing the 

 apples in on a slant. 



The manner in which the apple is to 

 rest in the box is usually determined by 

 its size and shape. The sizes of the two- 

 two pack smaller than 80 and of the 

 three-two pack smaller than 150 pack best 



on the cheek. Apples of the larger sizes 

 of these two packs, if somewhat spherical, 

 are packed on end, and if quite flat are 

 packed obliquely. Expressed differently, 

 the cheek pack can be used to make a 

 higher crown to the pack, the flat pack to 

 make a lower crown, and the oblique pack 

 to make one of medium height. There 

 is some difference of opinion as to wheth- 

 er the cheek or the flat pack is to be pre- 

 ferred in itself, or where a choice is to 

 be made. In Colorado, with the use of the 

 "Colorado" box. all apples are packed flat. 

 Where wrapping is not practiced, the ap- 

 ples stay in place better thus. On the 

 other hand, an increasing number of per- 

 sons in the Northwest are packing all 

 apples on the cheek. This, in the case of 

 apples which are indicated above to be 

 packed on end, they do at the expense 

 of firmness of pack, looseness being neces- 

 sary to allow of a sufficiently low crown. 

 The chief advantage of the cheek pack is 

 that it presents a more pleasing (because 

 less confused) appearance when on dis- 

 play, with an opportunity to expose the 

 more highly colored sides of the apples. 

 Also fewer stem punctures result from its 

 use if the apples are of a long stemmed 

 variety. In this connection it should be 

 stated that when the cheek pack is em- 

 ployed for the larger sizes of both the 

 three-two and the three-three packs, care 

 must be exercised not to allow the apples 

 to twist sidewise while building the pack, 

 but to keep the stem and calyx ends of 

 the apples pointing straight toward the 

 ends of the box; else the pack will come 

 too high by the reduction of the size 

 of the pockets into which the apples of 

 the layer above are to fit. When the ap- 

 ples thus show an inclination to twist, 

 either the packer is crowding them too 

 tightly, or else he is not selecting them 

 with proper uniformity as to size. 



In the flat pack the top and bottom 

 layers are usually placed with the stem 

 up and down respectively. The reason is 

 that the stem end of an apple possesses 

 the larger surface to bear the pressure of 

 the board; and as the apples are usually 

 placed on the fruit stand calyx end up, 

 the latter end is especially to be guarded 



