Vol. LXV. No. 2952. NEW YORK, AUGUST 25, 1906. weekly. <».oo pek year. 
A BOX OF FINE WESTERN APPLES. 
PICKING, PACKING AND MARKETING. 
A Story of Apple Land. 
ORGANIZED GROWERS. —Most of our readers 
have heard of the famous boxed apples, which 
are sent from Oregon, Washington and Idaho 
far across the continent, and then sold at a good 
profit in eastern cities. Many of us have, doubt¬ 
less, often wondered how this could be done, 
especially in seasons when eastern fruit, is low in 
price and hard of sale. One of the most interest¬ 
ing fruit bulletins we have read is No. 54 of the 
Idaho Experiment Station. In this pamphlet Prof. 
L. B. Judson describes the picking, packing and 
marketing of the apples in order to show how 
these famous apples are handled, and what gives 
the price. As may not be generally known, these 
apples are packed and handled largely by unions 
or organizations of growers. One of the best is 
the Apple Growers’ Union of Hood River, Ore¬ 
gon, which in two seasons built up a remarkable 
reputation for an honest and uniform pack. It 
is said that before 1903 Hood River produced 
just as fine fruit as it docs now, yet the price 
received for Spitzenberg apples at that time was 
about S3 cents a box. The first year which the 
Union operated this price was advanced to $2 
a box; last year the entire output was sold on 
contract at $2.60. This increase was largely due 
to the guarantee which the company was able to 
send with every box of apples. Dealers knew 
just what they were buying, and they were will¬ 
ing to pay the extra price for this knowledge. 
The packers’ guarantee stamped on the box oper¬ 
ated like the name of a reliable manufacturer of 
watches stamped into the case of the watch. The 
growers in any section where fine fruit is produced in 
large quantities would, of course, gladly obtain such 
prices, if they could. They must understand that a 
large proportion of this price is paid for the 
guarantee. We shall try to tell briefly in 
this article how these apples are grown, han¬ 
dled and packed, so as to make sure of the 
price. 
PICKING.—Prof. Judson says that the time 
of picking red apples in the Northwest is 
gauged by their color, and that of yellow 
apples by the color of the seeds. Apples 
picked just as the seeds have turned a light 
brown, before they have become dark around 
the edges, will have their best flavor. The 
best growers in the Northwest do not wait 
until the seeds indicate full ripeness, as this 
invites water core, and shortens the life of 
the fruit in storage. Of late years much 
complaint has been found with Jonathan be¬ 
cause it rots at the core. The outside of the 
apple presents an inviting appearance, but 
when cut open the flesh around the core is 
found brown and unfit to eat. This is worse 
than a worm hole, which can be cut out. 
This trouble seems to be due to late pick¬ 
ing of the variety—some growers letting it 
stand as long as possible, so as to increase 
the brilliant color. 
LOW-DOWN TREES.—In the Northwest 
efforts are made to head the tree low, both 
pruning and culture are adapted to that end. 
This makes an easy tree to spray, and also 
enables the pickers to work almost entirely 
from a low or step-ladder. Climbing among the 
branches of a tree is prevented if possible. One case 
is reported where a grower counted 43 fruit spurs un¬ 
der one tree in which the pickers had been climbing. 
Three types of step-ladders are in common use at Hood 
River. The three-legged ladder with an extension bot¬ 
tom on one side is shown at Fig. 26S, a common 
step-ladder with four legs, and also the single-rail lad¬ 
der, the latter not being very popular, as it is not as 
safe as the others. The object is, first, to get the trees 
low to the ground, and then as far as possible to pick 
ing. The old method of climbing into the trees and 
shaking the fruit to the ground, and then picking it up 
and putting in the barrel, would ruin the Hood River 
growers in one season. We had a neighbor who told 
his boy to pick the apples carefully into a basket and 
then pour them into a barrel. This boy climbed the 
tree, filled his basket, then stood in the tree and poured 
the apples down into the barrel, which stood on the 
ground. • ' 
PICKING BAGS.—In the Northwest great pains are 
taken both, in picking and packing. Buckets and baskets 
and bags are all used, and one man says that he 
provides his pickers with coal scuttles. The one 
great object is to provide packages from which 
the fruit cannot readily be poured into the barrel, 
but which must be gently and slowly unpacked. 
Bottomless bags are used by some. In them the 
fruit is permitted to roll from the bottom. While 
these might answer with oranges, they should not 
be used with first-class apples, as the pouring into 
the bag will surely bruise them. As Prof. Judson 
says, the average picker cannot withstand the 
temptation to stand up and let them shoot out of 
the bag when the foreman’s back is turned. The 
best picking bag appears to be the one shown at 
Fig. 266. This is called an apron bag, being 
usually made from a heavy grain sack. It hangs 
in front convenient for filling, and is shallow, so 
that the first apple can be laid in it without drop¬ 
ping. Both hands are free to pick, and the bag 
will hold all that the wearer can easily carry, 
yet it cannot be poured out unless the picker 
stands on his head. This seems to be the best 
way to avoid bruising in picking and handling in 
the orchard. The apples are put from this apron 
bag into apple boxes. Those used for orchard 
handling have a slot in each end for a hand, and 
they can be easily picked up and carried to the 
packing shed. For this journey a spring wagon 
is used, or if the distance is short a stone boat 
is frequently employed. 
APPLE BOXES.—Having picked the apples and 
brought them to the packing shed, the most important 
part of the operation begins. The Hood River people 
long ago gave up the barrel backage. It is too large, 
and too inviting for the careless packer. There are two 
styles of boxes employed, called the “stan¬ 
dard” and the “special.” The inside dimen¬ 
sions of the “standard” are 10'Z by 15pj by 
18 inches. This contains 2173'Z cubic inches, 
a little more than a bushel. A “special” box 
measures 10 by 11 by 20 inside, and contains 
2,200 cubic inches. Prof. Judson says that 
there is no legislation as to the size of the 
apple box. There is now nothing but senti¬ 
ment to prevent competition, and no legal 
redress when dishonest packers use smaller 
boxes, yet the sentiment in the Northwest 
is such that the dishonest packer is sure to 
have trouble. A case is reported of a man 
who had a large number of Newtown Pip¬ 
pin apples a little below what is known as the 
four-tier size. This means apples which are 
just large enough to give four rows to the 
box. This man slyly ordered 500 boxes, 
which were cut down a quarter of an inch in 
height and half an inch in width, so that his 
smaller apples fitted into the box and gave 
the appearance of being full size. These ap¬ 
ples were boxed and sold as four-tier stock, 
but the secret leaked out and hurt the man 
more than it helped him. Fig. 269 gives a 
fair idea of the appearance of the box, show¬ 
ing the bulge made by the cover when it is 
nailed fast at the end. The boxes are gen¬ 
erally made of spruce, which is whiter and 
neater than fir. The ends are three-quarters 
of an inch thick, the sides three-eighths and the top 
and bottom one-quarter. The cut timber is brought to 
the packing house, and the boxes are put together 
there. It is said that a good man, who understands 
the business, can nail together from 130 to 160 boxes 
in a lOrhoqr day, The average cost of boxes in a flat 
THE APRON PICKING BAG. Fig. 266 . 
the fruit without climbing on the branches. If apples 
are to be shipped 3,000 miles and then sell under a 
guarantee at $2.50 a box they must be picked and han¬ 
dled like eggs, and all bruised fruit must be left out 
of the box. A good deal of fruit is ruined in the pick¬ 
APPLE BOX NAILING PRESS. Fig. 267. 
