30 HARVESTING, STORING, AND MARKETING 



growers and different varieties. For instance, of all the Mcin- 

 tosh of Grower 1 that were placed in B grade, 70.3 per cent 

 were so placed because of scab. Cull fruit adds greatly to 

 packing costs and is worth nothing in itself. 



It is evident that most of the causes of off-grade fruit are 

 preventable by better orchard practices and greater care in 

 handling. Thinning, care in spraying and handling the fruit, 

 proper fertilization of the soil, and adequate pruning all have 

 their influence, 



(c) Determining Where Packing Is to Be Done. The 

 grower may pack his fruit (1) in the orchard, (2) in his own 

 packing house, or (3) in a community packing house. 



(1) Orchard packing was at one time the most common 

 procedure in the East. The operation is subject to interruption 

 by the weather; it is not possible to have as adequate facili- 

 ties or those so conveniently arranged as in a stationary plant. 

 It may not be feasible with the large quantities of fruit now 

 grown by single individuals. 



Something can be said, however, under certain condi- 

 tions for orchard packing. The emphasis now is on handling 

 the fruit as little as possible. Some growers of Mcintosh 

 have found it desirable to pack in the orchard directly from 

 the containers which the pickers have deposited. They set 

 up their boxes into which the fruit is to be packed on port- 

 able tables of simple design between the tree rows (in the 

 shade, if the sun is hot), size and grade the fruit by hand, 

 place the packed boxes in the shade, and move along with 

 the picking gang. The packed boxes are picked up by truck 

 and taken to their destination. One or more units of this 

 type may be set up. The procedure works well if properly 

 organized. 



(2) Use of the grower^s packing house follows the present 

 general tendency toward packing fruit in central plants rather 

 than in the orchards. This is a practice long followed in the 

 West. Work may thus go on in all kinds of weather if a 

 supply of fruit is picked ahead for such emergencies. More 



