350 
out looking. At the same time pick up 
an apple with the left hand. Throw the 
apple into the paper, and with some force, 
in order to jerk up the edges of the paper 
around the apple. Strike the center of 
the palm with the side of the apple that 
is to come up in the box. If the apple 
is to be placed on the cheek, point the 
blossom end between the thumb and fore- 
finger; which will bring the apple placed 
in the box on the opposite cheek, with 
the stem end toward you. Close the 
fingers as the apple is caught, and the 
apple is already half wrapped. Now 
brush the lower edges of the paper closely 
over the apple with the thumb and fore- 
finger of the left hand, at the same time 
transferring the grasp from the right 
hand to these fingers of the left. Now 
by twisting both wrists toward the left 
turn the hands completely over, until 
the back of the right hand is up and the 
back of the left hand down; at the same 
time being sure to retain the grasp with 
the left hand, allowing the apple to turn 
in the right hand and not with it. Dur- 
ing this act, not before, care for the 
upper edges of the paper with the fin- 
gers of the right hand. The apple is 
now wrapped and ready to be placed into 
the box with the right hand, the tails 
of the paper down. One can readily see 
that if the paper is picked up by the 
left hand and the apple with the right, 
these motions would be reversed. How- 
ever, one is likely to need his stronger 
hand for placing his apples in the box, 
in order to make his pack firm; and with 
most persons this means the right hand. 
But one method of wrapping is given; 
packers vary in the details. 
The box is usually packed with the 
folds of the paper turned underneath in 
all layers. Some growers, however, de- 
sire to have the folds turned up in the 
bottom one or two layers. This is termed 
“facing” the box, and is meant to make 
the bottom of the box appear like the top. 
The practice is to be discouraged, be- 
cause of the difficulty of making the folds 
of the apples remain close enough about 
the apple. Where the two styles of wrap 
meet in the box, there is danger of bare 
sides of apples coming into contact if the 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
packer is at all careless It the box of 
apples is likely to be displayed and it is 
desirable that a certain side should be 
opened for the purpose, the upper side 
can be stamped with the word “top ” 
Apple growers of the Hood River district 
practice this method to some extent Care 
should be taken that the labeling on the 
end of the box is right side up. Where 
facing is practiced, the apple is thrust 
into the paper with the side of the apple 
that is intended to be down in the box 
turned down in the palm This 1s oppo- 
site from where facing is not being done 
The free hand is then brought over the 
apple toward the packer, brushing down 
the upper edges of the paper and turning 
the apple half way over in the palm. It 
is in position to be placed in the box, the 
tails of the paper up. 
Stamps and Labels 
The grower will need a set of rubber 
stamps comprising all the numbers cor 
responding to the sizes that he will be 
likely to pack, also a stamp for each 
variety that he grows, and one for each 
of the two or three grades that he will 
pack. These should make figures and 
letters not less than one-half inch in 
height. He will also need a stamp for 
his name and address. If he has many 
boxes to go over, a roller stamp for this 
purpose will pay, as a time saver In 
some states and in Canada the presence 
of the grower’s or the packer’s name on 
the box is obligatory by law. Red ink 
for stamping, and especially green, should 
not be used. Letters made with these 
colors on natural wood are difficult to 
distinguish in a dim light Violet or 
black are to be preferred. About as many 
orders of arrangement are employed in 
stamping as there are Western apple 
growing districts. For the sake of sim- 
plicity and neatness, and for the sake of 
accuracy and convenience in handling at 
the warehouse, also in the stock room 
of the dealer, we recommend that ail 
stamping be done on one end of the box, 
and in the order illustrated in Fig. 25, 
the other end being occupied by only the 
lithograph. This, of course, would be 
pasted on with the top toward the top 
