PACKING 



41 



and uniform with no sags or low apples, reaching its highest 

 point at the center, so that when the cover is nailed the pack- 

 age will be springy and tight. With most varieties it will help 

 to secure the proper bulge if the packer places the apples in 

 each row and each layer that are adjacent to the ends of the 

 box on end rather than on the cheek, so that their diameters 

 build up the height of the pack less than do the apples in the 

 center. 



In addition to nailing the cover, boxes intended for export 

 should be wired at the ends. 



ig) Packing in Eastern Boxes. As a rule the fruit in the 

 Eastern box is not wrapped. The apples are placed in the 

 box by; hand, the box is shaken several times to settle the fruit, 

 the top layer is made as orderly as possible, care being taken 

 not to elevate the fruit above the ends of the box. A colored 

 paper cover is placed over the fruit and nailed in place by 

 slats across the ends. The boxes may then be piled on trucks 

 or in storage without damage to the fruit. 



It is well to use oiled paper if the fruit is to be put into 

 storage, as indicated under Storage Scald, page 66. 



In packing the box, facers are sometimes used on the top 

 of the box. By attaching the facer first, turning the box up- 

 side down, packing the first layer, filling the box without 

 placing the fruit in layers, nailing on the bottom, inverting the 

 box, and removing the facer, it is possible to have a very good- 

 looking pack with a minimum amount of labor. The use of 

 a cardboard cover instead of the facer makes a very solid 

 package. This cover is nailed in place by two narrow slats 

 and then the box is filled in exactly the same manner as when 

 an ordinary facer is used. 



A successful grower of fine apples in the Hudson Valley 

 section of New York gives these directions for packing the 

 box: 



In the construction of the box, omit the nailing of the bottom but 

 instead nail the two slats on the top. Invert the box ready to face 

 and fill Place a corrugated paper sheet, 14 by 16% inches on the slats, 



