September, 1916 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE SUPPLEMENT 
consistent with economy of time 
and effort. Some of the tools can 
be made at home, the others 
obtained from any dealer in 
orchard supplies. 
The Packing Bench. 
There are several types of 
packing benches. One, in very 
general use resembles a feed 
trough with a slat bottom. The 
railing is padded and sometimes 
a canvas is thrown over the slats 
to prevent bruising the apples. 
Such a table can be used by two 
packers, one on either side. 
A better type for a single 
packer is shown in the illustra- 
tion below. Its dimensions are 
six feet in length, four feet wide 
at the head and 18 inches at the 
foot. The rail is made of 1x6 inch 
board, padded. At the foot, or 
mouth, is tacked an apron about 
five feet long. The legs for the 
head are made 45 inches long; 
for the foot 39 inches, giving the 
table a six inch pitch towards 
the packer. The floor is made of 
lxl slats. 
No baskets are required for 
grading with this bench; the 
apron serves the purpose. Upon 
such a bench four or five orchard 
crates may be emptied at a time. 
An occasional jar keeps the 
apples rolling towards the pack- 
er. 
Picking Apples 
Since the proper packing of 
apples really begins with the 
picking of them, a few words here 
will not be amiss. 
The picker’s tools consist of a 
canvas bag, a step ladder and 
a pair of rubber soled shoes. 
The canvas picking bag is 
recommended because it is sus- 
pended from the shoulders of 
the picker and, consequently, 
leaves both of his hands free for 
picking; nor can it be knocked 
off the ladder, as often happens 
with a pail or basket. 
The best form of step ladder 
is the kind with flaring legs and 
narrow lop. The back support 
consists of a single pole. Such a 
ladder does not easily tip over 
and can be easily thrust among 
the branches. 
When boys are employed to 
pick and are allowed to climb 
the trees, they should be re- 
quired to wear rubber soled 
shoes, so as not to bruise the 
limbs. They should be duly 
instructed how to pick the apples 
without pulling out the stems. 
The trick is done by grasping the 
apple firmly and giving it a 
quick pull accompanied with a 
turn of the wrist. 
Orchard Crates. 
The use of barrels in the 
orchard for hauling apples from 
the trees to the packing house 
should be discouraged. The 
apples are apt to become bruised 
and the barrels soiled, rendering 
them unfit for market use. In- 
stead of barrels, use bushel 
crates, such as are commonly 
used for marketing tomatoes. 
3 
The crates are light, of conven- 
ient size, and stack compactly 
on the truck. A 1£ inch slat 
should be nailed across each end 
of the crate, on top, so that the 
Barrel Properly Faced 
apples in the lower crates will 
not be bruised by the upper 
crates resting upon them. 
Grading Apples. 
Until an economical and effi- 
cient grading machine has been 
invented, the bulk of barrel 
apples will continue to be graded 
by hand. 
In many large orchards the 
pickers are instructed to leave 
all of the cull apples on the 
ground where they may be 
gathered up later for the cider 
Barrel Properly Tailed 
mill. This arrangement obviates 
the necessity of twice handling 
the culls, and it enables the 
packer to devote all of his atten- 
