ii8 



and hire an expert apple packer, and try the box package in a small 

 way at least. 



Question. What would such a man cost? 



Mr. Lupton. We paid our man $3.00 per day and expenses. 

 I think, to many of us, it was well worth the money, and I have 

 seriously thought of sending or going to Hood River and getting 

 an apple packer to come in here and pack our barrels. We had 

 some men who got interested and there was a marked improvement 

 in their work. The difficulty was in finding men who wanted to try 

 to learn to do these things. 



Question. Do you have native help who can pack in boxes? 



Mr. Lupton. Very little. The apples that I brought here were 

 packed by a packer from Florida. The best day's work he did 

 was 80 boxes. Did it all himself. The apples were run through 

 a grader- made by him. He had them graded in three sizes and 

 claimed he could pack 100 boxes a day, and did pack 80 boxes in 

 one day. 



Question. Do you put only one grade of apples in a barrel? 



Mr. Lupton. We try not to pack two grades in the same 

 barrel. I presume our methods in this respect are slmfiar to your 

 own, that is No. i fruit to be 2^4 inches and up and No. 2 fruit 

 below 2^2 inches down as small as we can sell them. It has always 

 been thought that it is impossible to grade apples with a mechanical 

 grader, but I believe it can be done. It is certainly not convenient 

 nor proper to have women and girls help us if we continue to pack 

 in the o])en. as we now do, and I thiiik in the future we will have 

 to build ])acking sheds and do our packing under cover. 



Question. How far do you think you can haul the fruit to 

 be packed ? 



Mr. Lupton. I have 200 acres in one block and will put a 

 packing shed in the middle of the orchard. If I could put a cen- 

 tral plant at the railroad station the question might be solved. I 

 understand, from several sources, that is being done in some cases. 

 Hauling the fruit to the station to be packed would be all right 

 if not too far and the roads were good. 



Apples From Un sprayed Trees. Large Pile, Culls. Small Pile On The 

 Right, Saleable Fruit. (Photo by Peairs.) 



