HARVESTING AND MARKETING 133 



The barrel has long been the universal pack- 

 age for winter apples and is still the standard 

 container for this fruit. It is used almost ex- 

 clusively throughout the Eastern States and 

 probably will continue to be for some time. 



In packing a barrel of apples the container 

 is filled "upside down." That is, the bottom 

 of the barrel is taken out and the head end is 

 packed first, usually with apples as nearly of 

 the same size and color as is possible to select 

 from the general run of the fruit. This, I con- 

 sider a perfectly legitimate practice in that it 

 does not employ a different grade of fruit for 

 "facing" the barrel, but it does trim the pack- 

 age in such a way that it produces the best pos- 

 sible effect on the intending purchaser. At any 

 rate it is so universal that if it were not done 

 the grower would not realize nearly so much 

 for his fruit as he otherwise would. Often two 

 layers are placed in the barrel by hand, arrang- 

 ing them all with the stem end down (that is 

 next to the head), and in concentric circles. 

 After this "facing" of the barrel the fruit is 

 carefully poured in until the package is about 

 half filled when it is thoroughly shaken down 

 by rocking the barrel vigorously back and forth 

 over a hard floor and jolting it severely in the 

 process. This is repeated when the barrel is 

 filled and tends to settle the apples solidly in 

 the package so that they will not ( * rattle, ' ' when 



