SUMMARY 



An experimental packing line for Mcintosh variety apples was developed 

 by combining improved work methods and the latest commercially available 

 equipment. These improvements enabled the Mcintosh apples to be packed me- 

 chanically at a lower labor cost with no increase in injury to the fruit or 

 in the number of off -grade apples in the packed fruit. 



The labor cost, at $1.25 per hour, for performing all packing operations 

 at a plant handling 50,000 boxes per year, dumped at a rate of 900 boxes per 

 day, was 14.4 cents per dumped box. Equipment cost 7.9 cents per dumped box. 

 By increasing the volume to 150,000 boxes per year with 1,200 boxes dumped 

 per day, these costs could be reduced to 11.7 cents per dumped box for labor, 

 and 3.6 cents for equipment. 



Each test lot of bruise-free apples was tested with a Magness -Taylor 

 pressure tester. This device measured the resistence of the apple flesh to a 

 plunger. The lower the resistence recorded on the pressure scale, measured in 

 pounds of pressure required to force the plunger into the apple, the more 

 susceptible the fruit was to bruising. 



Fruit testing only 9 pounds on the firmness scale suffered 21.6 percent 

 bruising after traveling over the complete line, fruit at 12 pounds showed 

 4.5 percent bruising, and fruit at 17 pounds only 1.4 percent bruising. 

 Fruit testing 9.5 pounds was used to test the automatic box filler, and 

 bruising amounted to 6.4 percent. When fruit testing 16 pounds was used in 

 this test, bruising was reduced to 1.9 percent. 



When the sorting crew was increased from four to six, productivity of 

 the cell packers more than doubled. With six sorters, the packers no longer 

 had to inspect each apple before packing it, but could pick up apples with 

 both hands and place them into the cells. This increased productivity was 

 accomplished with no increase in the number of below-grade apples in the 

 cell-packed cartons. 



Precise sizing did not occur with the dimension sizer. Greater accuracy 

 may be possible by closer adjustment of the equipment but these sizing errors 

 will continue until a way is found to position apples uniformly in the cups. 

 However, other methods of sizing that are in common use in the industry are 

 little, if any, more accurate. 



- 4 - 



