FRUIT-PACKING OPERATIONS 



59 



the lace circle on top of this. It is well to use some 

 kind of paper to keep the fruit from coming in direct 

 contact with the wood, but the use of the fancy lace 

 circle or more expensive cap is not customary except 

 for the very finest grades. Sometimes customers request 

 the use of these special packing materials, and in such 

 cases they should always be used. 



Facing the Head. This is an important operation 

 and is accomplished with 

 considerable care. The 

 packer will learn how 

 many apples will be re- 

 quired of any given size 

 to make one layer over 

 the end of the barrel. He 

 selects sufficient of these 

 from the grading table, 

 being careful to get uni- 

 form specimens both in size and color. They are 

 put into a swing-handled basket and emptied into the 

 bottom of the barrel. The packer then reaches in 

 and arranges these apples in a circle around the 

 bottom, placing the stems down. If the stems are 

 so long that the apple rides over them, they are cut off 

 by a special stemming tool. This resembles a small plier 

 and can be purchased from orchard supply houses. 



There is considerable diversity in methods of facing 

 barrels throughout the various fruit-growing sections, 

 but most of the growers prefer to face two rows, the 

 second row resting on the interspaces between the first. 

 This gives a better appearance when the barrel is opened 

 for inspection. Of course, it is understood that the end 



Fig. 46. 

 A well-faced barrel. 



