Heavy Loading of Northwestern Apples 21 



LOADING 



The loading of refrigerator cars with apples nearer the ceiling than 

 18 inches is not recommended as a standard practice. 



Early long-distance shipments should move under refrigeration and 

 ordinarily should not be loaded more than five boxes high. These 

 shipments should include the September and early October movement 

 of such varieties as Grimes, Jonathan, Winter Banana, Mclntosh, 

 Delicious, and Spitzenberg. 



By using 3 to 4 per cent salt with the ice at the time of loading, 

 such carloads may be increased, under emergency demands, to six 

 layers, but in no case should salt be used unless properly constructed 

 floor racks are provided and the fruit next to the ice bunker is pro- 

 tected from freezing by an insulated bulkhead or temporary insulating 

 material so placed as to provide ample openings at the floor and 

 ceiling to permit free air circulation to and from the ice bunker. 



When emergency necessitates increased loading, ventilated ship- 

 ments, rather than those moving under refrigeration or heat, should 

 be loaded heavily. 



STRIPPING AND BRACING 



The following rules should be put into effect at every loading 

 platform : 



(1) Inspect bunker bulkheads and insure rigidity before loading, 

 by bracing those likely to work loose. 



(2) Clean out the cars beneath the floor racks before loading. 



(3) Use floor racks having not less than 4-inch supports running 

 lengthwise of the car. Do not load boxes on temporary strips, as 

 they are of no importance in applying heat and often tilt or allow 

 the boxes to slip off, resulting in a jumbled load and breakage. 



(4) Place boxes an even distance apart, keep them in even stacks 

 across the car, and have each box shoved firmly back to prevent slack. 



(5) Use two car strips per box on the second, fourth, and top layers 

 of boxes in each stack. Have each strip extend to the walls of the 

 car. Use No. 6 cement-coated nails in the top strips, two nails per box 

 in each strip. On lower strips use at least one nail per box in each strip. 



(6) When loading the doorway full, squeeze the load well with a 

 car squeeze before placing the final stack of fruit, and take up all 

 slack with dunnage. Allow sufficient space above the load in the 

 doorway for the entrance of inspectors. 



(7) Brace tightly with good lumber, using construction with 

 strength equivalent to that shown in figure 8. 



Controlled ventilation maintains lower and more even fruit tempera- 

 tures than standard ventilation. (See fig. 3.) It is recommended 

 that ventilation practices be established that will effect the prompt 

 opening and closing of ventilators by competent employees, in order 



