PACKING 



295 



A third size of box is offered for sale in the East. It conforms 

 to the requirements of the bill to regulate the size of barrels and 

 boxes and the grading of fruit, which has been pending before 

 Congress for two years. This bill specifies that the box shall 

 contain 2342 cubic inches, and the inside dimensions shall be 

 approximately 10J, x n\ X 19^ in. A few other sizes are sold by 

 manufacturers in the East, but odd sizes should be avoided. The 

 boxes are delivered in the shooks, and nailed up by the growers 

 themselves. 



Box material. To make the box an attractive package it is 

 necessary to get clean, bright lumber free from knots. Spruce and 



Fig. 130. Boxes for apples 

 Different types of boxes used for packing apples. (After Cornell University) 



pine are two common timbers which have proved very satisfactory. 

 The best boxes are made of one-piece ends | inch thick, one-piece 

 sides I inch thick, and two-piece tops and bottoms from -^ to 

 j inch thick, depending upon the strength of the material. A 

 slightly cheaper box, and yet a very serviceable one, is made of two- 

 piece ends and sides, the two parts being united with a Linderman 

 joint and securely glued. If, in setting up the box, care is taken to 

 prevent the joints of sides and ends from coming together, the box 

 will be very strong. All box material should be dressed, at least on 

 the outside. Boxes are usually purchased in the knocked-down form 

 and are made up when desired, the price ranging from $13.00 to 



