CHAPTER IV 



FRUIT-PACKING OPERATIONS 



Packing Apples in Barrels. The operation of packing 

 apples in barrels is not a difficult one if everything is 

 arranged for convenience in doing the work. Two or 

 three barrels are provided within easy reach of the 

 packing table. These are to accommodate the different 

 grade! or sizes of fruit. If many of the apples are 

 bad, the lot is gone oyer previous to the packing and 

 the culls thrown out. It is customary to do the sizing 

 during the process of packing, but it ought not to be 

 necessary for the packer to look for worm holes, bruises, 

 etc. This should be done beforehand. 



Preparing the Barrel. As the barrels come from the 

 cooper shop, both ends are headed up. One end is 

 selected for the face of the barrel and the other head 

 removed. The first operation is to nail in the head. 

 This is done by nailing through the first hoop into 

 each piece of the head (Fig. 44). "Where there are more 

 than two pieces, six to eight nails will be necessary to hold 

 them properly. The two-quarter hoops' are next securely 

 nailed (Fig. 45). If the barrels are intended for foreign 

 shipment these are given considerable attention. The 

 shipping of fruit long distances has the tendency to 

 spread the barrel, and if the hoops slip or expand, the 

 fruit arrives at its destination in a "slack pack." 



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