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Chapter X. 

 APPLE PACKING FOE MASSACHUSETTS GEOWERS. 



ALBERT B. JBNKS, WEST ACTON, MASSACHUSETTS, PEXJIT GROWER. 



The commercial importance of the apple crop in Massa- 

 chusetts has grown rapidly during the past decade. Improved 

 methods of harvesting, sizing, grading, packing, storing and 

 marketing have had a great influence in helping make the 

 apple crop profitable to its producers. These methods must 

 be improved upon and be more generally practiced if the 

 State is to maintain the reputation being developed, and is 

 to continue to market her rapidly increasing crop at a price 

 which will return to the growers cost of production plus a 

 reasonable profit. The rapid development of interest in apple 

 by-products with their apparently unlimited market forms an 

 excellent outlet for culls and lower grade apples, so that one 

 should not hesitate to remove these" grades of apples from their 

 better marketable grades. 



Improved methods of picking must precede any advance in 

 the packing of apples. Too little thought oftentimes is given 

 to this phase. Apples may be excellently grown and finely 

 packed, but unless they are carefully picked they will not 

 bring the highest market price. It is very hard to know just 

 when an apple has reached the stage when, if picked, it will 

 keep the longest and still retain the highest quality for culi- 

 nary and dessert purposes. The time will vary according to 

 the soil, its moisture content, the variety of apple, the stock, 

 the season, the exposure and the purpose for which the fruit 

 is sold. Experience is necessary to determine this point, but 

 there is less danger of picking too early than too late. A fair 

 test of ripeness is to lift the apple gently and twist it slightly. 

 If it parts readily from the spur, the apple is ripe enough to 

 pick. If the apples are to be placed in ordinary storage they 



