154 ^'^£ CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



inches, or somewhat more than a struck bushel. The bulge 

 in the top and bottom, after the box is nailed, adds about 150 

 cubic inches to its capacity. With skillful grading to the 

 proper size, and by varying the style of packing, apples of 

 any size or shape may be packed in this standard box. 



Notice the dimensions of the stuff of which the box is 

 made. The ends are % inch thick, the sides ^, and the bot- 

 tom and top y\. If the ends are any thinner, they are likely 

 to split when nailed into; if the sides are any thinner, they 

 will bulge when the box is nailed up and thus leave no flat 

 surface on which to lay the box without bruising the fruit ; 

 and if the tops and bottoms are any thicker, they will not 

 spring readily to permit the proper bulge. The best mate- 

 rial for boxes is spruce, but white and yellow pine and fir are 

 frequently used. The box material should always be bright 

 and fresh, and boxes used in the orchard during the picking 

 should not be used for packing. Boxes in the flat cost any- 

 where from 8^ to 12 cents apiece, depending upon locality, 

 material, and quantity bought. 



There are three styles of packs in common use, known 

 as the "straight," "diagonal," and "ofifset." The straight or 

 square pack is made up of rows running straight across the 

 box, and presents a very neat appearance, though it is the 

 severest on the fruit, as each apple is squarely opposed to its 

 neighbors. The diagonal pack, in which the rows run diag- 

 onally across the box, permits each apple to fit into the space 

 between each pair of apples with which it comes in contact. 

 It is easier to put up and have each tier come out right, than 

 the straight pack, and does not take quite so many apples to 

 the box. It is superior to the offset pack, because it fills up. 

 the sides of the box solidly except at the corners, so that if 

 the box is opened at the side instead of on top, a solid face 

 of fruit is presented ; with the offset pack there would be as 

 many holes as apples exposed. 



The straight pack may be put up in the three-tier, four- 

 tier, and five-tier styles, so-called from the number of apples 

 required to extend across the box. The number of tiers may 

 also be three, four or five in a straight pack. The three-tier 



