268 



GRADING AND PACKING 



operator exerts as mucli pressure by hand as he can upon this 

 head. The object of this, as before explained, is to get a smooth 

 surface on which to lay the "tail" or last layer of apples. 



The "tailing off" of the barrel is the supreme test of good 

 packing. The whole object is to lay a smooth surface so that 

 when the pressure is put on it will be distributed over the 

 entire face and not confined to a few spots, as it will be if a 

 few apples stick up above the rest. Many packers tip the barrel 



Fig. 133. — Diagram showing method of starting the 2-2 pack. 

 Fig. 134. — Diagram showing the method of starting the 3-2 pack. 



slightly in order to slant the face and then begin to lay the 

 apples at the lower side of this slanting surface. In this way 

 the apples will stay in place better than if the surface is level. 

 The proper height for this last layer is a somewhat debatable 

 point. It depends on the variety and on the distance the fruit 

 is to be shipped. Some varieties, such as Russets, require and 

 will stand a good deal of pressure. Others, such as Gravensteln 

 and Northern Spy, will not stand so much. Among many 

 experienced packers the general opinion is that where the apples 



