APPLES 
Where Dispose of the Stem 
Accoiding to the best practice of the 
apple packeis of the Noithwest a uniform- 
ity with regard to the direction in which 
the stem is to point, is observed in plac- 
ing the apples in the box The picking 
up and wrapping of the apple in such a 
way that 1t becomes handy to place it in 
the box in the proper position becomes 
automatic. There has been much discus- 
sion as to whether the apple should be 
placed stem downward, stem upward, or 
stem pointing toward the end of the box. 
In the latter case the pack is called a 
‘cheek” pack, because the cheek of the 
apple 1s presented to view on the top 
layer, or because the apple is placed in 
the box on its cheek. A “stem” pack 
is one where the stem points upward on 
the top layer. An “end” pack is usually 
one that exposes the calyx end on the top 
layer; though it may mean the same as a 
“flat? pack, which term is applied to a 
pack where the apple is placed with 
either the stem or the calyx end up. In 
any flat pack all layers but the top are 
usually placed with the stem end down, 
and the corners of the wrapping paper 
folded over the stem to prevent its punc- 
turing any apple below it. An “oblique,” 
“tilting,” or ‘“disked”’ pack is one where 
the apples are placed in the box in an 
oblique, or tilting, position. The apples 
may all be leaned from the ends of the 
box toward the center—especially in ap- 
ples of a two-two size; all layers may be 
leaned toward one end of the box, those 
in the middle at a slightly less angle to 
form the crown of the pack; or the layers 
may alternate as to the end of the box 
toward which they are inclined. For the 
three-two size of apples the second method 
is the most satisfactory. In this it is 
well to lay flat the first three apples in 
the bottom layer, in order to help in 
keeping that end of the pack low and to 
render more easy the start at placing the 
apples in on a slant. 
The manner in which the apple is to 
rest in the box is usually determined by 
its size and shape. The sizes of the two- 
two pack smaller than 80 and of the 
three-two pack smaller than 150 pack best 
365 
on the cheek Applies ot the larger sizes 
of these two packs, 1t Somewhat spherical, 
are packed on end, and if suite flat are 
packed obliquely. Expressed differently, 
the cheek pack can be used to make a 
higher crown to the pack, the flat pack to 
make a lower crown, and the oblique pack 
to make one of medium height. There 
18s some difference of opinion as to wheth- 
er the cheek or the flat pack 1s to be pre- 
tferied in itself, or where a choice is to 
be made In Colorado, with the use of the 
“Colorado” bos, all apples are packed flat. 
Where wrapping 1s not practiced, the ap- 
ples stay in place better thus On the 
other hand, an increasing number of per- 
sons in the Northwest are packing all 
apples on the cheek. This, in the case of 
apples which are indicated above to be 
packed on end, they do at the expense 
of firmness of pack, looseness being neces- 
sary to allow of a sufficiently low crown. 
The chief advantage of the cheek pack is 
that it presents a more pleasing (because 
less confused) appearance when on dis- 
play, with an opportunity to expose the 
more highly colored sides of the apples. 
Also fewer stem punctures result from its 
use if the apples are of a long stemmed 
variety. In this connection it should be 
stated that when the cheek pack is em- 
ployed for the larger sizes of both the 
three-two and the three-three packs, care 
must be exercised not to allow the apples 
to twist sidewise while building the pack, 
but to keep the stem and calyx ends of 
the apples pointing straight toward the 
ends of the box; else the pack will come 
too high by the reduction of the size 
of the pockets into which the apples of 
the layer above are to fit. When the ap- 
ples thus show an inclination to twist, 
either the packer is crowding them too 
tightly, or else he is not selecting them 
with proper uniformity as to size. 
In the flat pack the top and bottom 
layers are usually placed with the stem 
up and down respectively. The reason is 
that the stem end of an apple possesses 
the larger surface to bear the pressure of 
the board; and as the apples are usually 
placed on the fruit stand calyx end up, 
the latter end is especially to be guarded 
