532 



Packing Apples in Boxes. 



[Sept., 



not arrange grades of even approximately the same size. The 

 result is that many packs have to be used, sometimes two in one 

 box : the same sizes may be packed in several ways, and even 

 then the finished pack is very often too high or too low and the 

 fruit is consequently bruised. To some extent this is obviated 

 by turning some of the apples or by making up with wood wool 

 or in other ways — an unnecessary complication with results 

 which are seldom satisfactory. If it is carefully followed the newer 

 system gives a better result and does away with all needless 

 troubles. The actual placing of the apples in the box requires 

 very little practice and less skill, but what is generally known 

 here as grading does require a certain amount of both skill and 

 practice. This grading is for both quality and size, but selection 

 for size would be more correctly described as sizing. No skill is 

 required to remove blemished, damaged or poorly-coloured fruit, 

 thou oh care is necessary. The real difficulty lies in selecting the 

 correct sizes for packing, or sizing. It is usually stated that 

 successful packing depends upon selecting apples of as 7jearly the 

 same si>e as possible. There is more in this statement than 

 meets the eye. Under the older systems apples are sized by 

 passing through rings or some similar device. Apples, how- 

 ever, are not round like tennis balls, and this method only 

 measures the maximum diameter. Even if the actual average 

 diameter could be measured, it would be useless, as it is only 

 one of the factors included in size. 



The point that really matters is the space occ/upied or hulk of 

 the apple. Unfortunately this cannot be ascertained satisfac- 

 torily or even approximately by any practicable mechanical form 

 of Sizing. Most of the up-to-date machines now in use abroad 

 size by weight, and if the apples are divided into a sufficient 

 number of sizes, this is an improvement. No mechanical 

 apparatus, however, has yet been produced which will divide 

 the apples into sizes ready for packing. A little consideration 

 will show why this is so. If a size comes out so that 156 apples 

 w^ould just fill a box, a little calculation, or a reference to the 

 table given on p. 588 below, will show that the nearest numbers 

 that will give an even number of layers are 150 and 163. If the 

 packer puts in 150 the pack will be too loose : if he puts in 163 

 it wi]l be too tight : the result in either case will be damaged 

 fruit. This is an important point, and it may be clearer to those 

 who are accustomed to thinking of apples as so much in diameter, 

 if put in another way. It should be borne in mind that however 

 near apples are in size to each other, there must still be some 



