APPLES 
split too easily, thinner sides endanger 
the good condition of the fruit; like- 
wise thicker tops and bottoms, by lack 
of pliableness for the bulge. It is im- 
portant that the lumber come up to 
these specifications. No little complaint 
came from the trade, both domestic and 
foreign, during the season of 1911, on ac- 
count of the flimsiness of much of the 
material in the boxes sent out from the 
Northwest. For export, the tops and bot- 
toms are frequently double, with the 
swell not greater than the thickness of 
the box cleats. One-piece sides are used, 
and two-piece tops and bottoms, all of 
which are a little narrow, thus furnishing 
ventilation. A cleat three-eighths of an 
inch thick and three-quarters of an inch 
wide is used on either end of the top and 
pottom, nails being driven only through 
the cleats. In the Hast some boxes come 
with the tops and bottoms already cleat- 
ed. Six or eight 5d. or 6d. cement 
coated box nails are used on each side, 
eight on the bottom, and eight on the top 
The larger size of nail is to be recom- 
mended, also eight to the side 
A few panel ends are offered both 
in the Northwest and the East; but they 
are objectionable, because they prevent 
handling with the clamp truck and do 
not make so neat and strong a pack- 
age. 
Spruce has been the material usually 
recommended. It imparts no disagreeable 
flavor to the apples in storage, and is 
easier to secure clear of knots. It splits 
more easily than pine, however, in mak- 
ing up, unless green. The ignorant pur- 
chaser is also likely to have hemlock 
sold to him for spruce, which former is 
cheaper, splits even more easily, and is 
even rougher, if not surfaced. The Yaki- 
ma Valley Fruitgrowers’ Association pur- 
chases pine for its members, finding that 
it makes a better looking box, holds nails 
more firmly, and does not split. 
Mr. A. V. Stubenrauch, pomologist and 
horticulturist in the Department of Agri- 
culture, says: 
“Regarding the absorption of flavors by 
fruits in cold storage, I would state that 
So far as our experience has gone, we 
have not found that apples stored in pine 
329 
boxes absorb the flavor of the wood to 
any deleterious extent. We have found 
fiuits affected by foreign odors in storage 
rooms, but these have been largely flavors 
or odors of highly pungent or strong na- 
tures. The temperature at which the 
fruit is held does not seem to affect this 
property of absorption to any great ex- 
tent. For example: We have found that 
apples stored at 32 degrees in a room in 
Which peppers were held absorbed the 
pepper flavor and odor to a marked de- 
gree.” 
“Fire killed timber” is ‘almost odorless 
and does not impart an unnatural flavor 
to the fruit’ * Some boxes offered in 
New York state are made of gum. 
Apple boxes cost in the Northwestern 
states from 9 to 11 cents; in Colorado, 
from 12 to 18 cents; in New York state, 
about 12 cents; in the Virginias, from 
13 to 18 cents. 
Box Making 
“Box shooks” are usually hauled to the 
packing house and made up on the spot. 
To perform this operation rapidly [by 
hand] make a form by nailing two cleats 
a foot long on the work bench, just the 
length of a side board apart, and about 
seven-eighths of an inch inside each of 
these nail another, thus making two slots 
to receive the end boards In the same 
manner cleat a short board and nail it 
on edge just back of the cleats on the 
bench, meeting them at a right angle. 
Fig. 1 Box Form for Making 
Pear Boxes. 
Apple and 
Hind boards thrust into these slots are 
thus held upright while being nailed. 
Instead of the upright cleats at the back 
of this form, some prefer to arrange two 
sets of arms made of short boards a few 
inches above the bench to engage the box 
* Outlook, Vol. 101, p. 665, 1912. 
