Results of sorting with four and six sorters are presented in table 6. 

 Dumping rates were 167 and 160 boxes per hour . Utility and cull grade apples 

 together were 22.9 percent of the first lot, and 25 percent of the second. 

 In this test, lanes were' not used. 



Table 6. — Utility grade fruit passed as U. S. Fancy by 4 and 6 sorters, when 



lanes were not used 



Number of 



sorters 



: Dump ing : 

 rate 



Utilities and culls 

 in orchard-run 

 fruit 



Utilities left in 

 : run-off fruit 

 after sorting 



^ 





Boxes per hour 



: Percent 

 : 22.9 



: 25.0 



: Percent 



4 . 

 6 , 



167 

 160 



: 10.0 

 6.7 



With foiir sorters, only 56.3 percent of the utility grade apples in the 

 orchard-run fruit were removed by sorters, which left 10 percent of the run- 

 off fruit below grade. With six sorters, 73.2 percent of the utilities were 

 sorted out so that only 6.7 percent of the run-off fruit consisted of utility 

 grade apples. By adding two sorters to the sorting crew, below-grade apples 

 passed by the sorters was reduced significantly. However, the dumping rate 

 and percent of lower-grade fruit could not be held constant during the test 

 period, so that only general comparisons are possible. 



Lanes were formed with lengths of cord, which divided each side into 

 two 6-inch or three 4- inch sections. With each sorter observing only those 

 apples in her lane, 18 percent fewer utility grade apples were passed as 

 U. S. Fancy grade fruit. In addition to improving the quality of sorting, 

 this method was preferred by the sorters. 



Sorting at the Packing Station 



When only four sorters were working, packers inspected all apples 

 individually for size and quality before placing them in cells. This practice 

 limited the number of cartons a packer could cell pack, and precluded the use 

 of mechanical equipment in the packing operation; but it was employed to assure 

 that a minimum of undergrade fruit would get into the cell packed cartons. 

 "Second sorting" was studied to determine how effective it was in reducing 

 the number of off -grade apples packed out. With this method, a packer picked 

 an apple up from the return-flow belt, examined it, and then placed the apple 

 in a cell. The data revealed that the packer's inspection of each apple before 

 packing it gave no assurance that the cell-packed carton would be free of 

 utility grade fruit. Even when the packer inspected each apple, the pack 

 contained 6.9 percent utility grade fruit. This compares with 6.7 percent 

 utilities in the packed fruit when six sorters were used and the packer did 

 not reinspect the fruit. Essentially the same results were achieved with the 

 jumble-boxing of utility grade fruit by automatic box fillers. With six sorters 



26 



