THE FRUIT PACKAGE 75 



American Apple Shippers' Association has the follow- 

 ing dimensions: Staves, 28 Hj inches; head, 17^ inches; 

 circumference in the middle, 64 inches. This barrel 

 holds one hundred quarts, and is known as the " 100- 

 quart barrel. ' ' 



In Nova Scotia, where the apple growers are, to 

 some extent, a law unto themselves, a sliglitl>^ differ- 

 ent barrel is used. The regulation dimensions are: 

 Head, 17J/2 inches; bilge, 19 inches; stave, 29 inches. 

 This gives a long barrel with a comparatively straight 

 vStave. When such a barrel is placed on its side it 

 rests on the hoops and lies much more securely than 

 the barrel of greater relative bilge. This is a very 

 important matter in shipping apples by steamer, as 

 Canadian apples are largel}^ shipped to Europe. A 

 part of Nova Scotia's considerable success in the 

 exportation of apples is due to the use of this 

 barrel. 



Apple barrels are seldom bought ready built, except 

 when empty flour barrels are used. The usual prac- 

 tice is to buy the staves, heads, and hoops at the saw- 

 mills, and to have the barrels put together at a local 

 cooper shop. Such a shop is usually to be found in 

 every apple growing neighborhood doing business for 

 several small growers. Large producers of apples 

 commonly have their own coopering rooms. Here 

 they make up their own barrels during rainy days, or 

 else they have some itinerant cooper to come in and 

 make them up when needed. 



The cost of apple barrels varies from $15 to $30 

 the hundred. For the last tw^o years it has been about 

 $25 a hundred for good barrels. The cost is about the 



