The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-10-22
PACKING APPLES.
How to Keep the Fruit In Prime Con-
dition for Winter ConsumptlOn.


How to Keep the Fruit In PrImo Com
dition for Winter Consumption.
"Handle apples as you would eggs"
is good advice. Do not shake them
from the tree. When basket is handed
down from the tree another is returned,
while the apples in the basket are sorted.
The sorting is easily done by having an
empty basket at one hand, into which
the choice apples are placed. while the
culls are placed in pile on the ground.
An experienced man can sort rapidly
and accurately. The choice apples are
commonly placed directly in the barrel.
Only clean barrels should be used. Old
fiour-barrels, unless carefully washed
and dried. will usually impart q musty
flavor to the fruit before midwiuter,
especially if the air in the cellar is moist.
The first apples which are put in market
barrels should be ..faced." The facing
consists in placing two or three layers
on the lower head with stems down; that
is, with stems pointing towards the
head. Clean. bright apples of ordinary
size should be selected for this purpose.
The rest of the apples may be poured
into the barrel. This pouring, if prop
erly done, will not injure the apples.
Eggs can be poured. Use basket with
q swinging handle. one which can be
lowered into the barrel and turned while
there. and hold the apples back
with the hand, so that they will
not pour too rapidly. Two or
three times during the filling
shake the barrel gently to settle
the apples firmly. Face the upper head
in the same manner rs the lower one.
1t is desirable not to head up the barrel
at once. Cover with boards to keep out
the rain. and let the barrels stand open
four or five days. Il is not, however.
always possible to cover the barrels. in
which case they may be headed up At
once and turned down on their sides.
In this condition they will shed water.
Thus far have spoke of packing out Of
doors. The best results are always &C.
cured under cover. A cheap shed.
which will not leak, IL sufficient. 1t
should be erected in o cool and shady
place, as on the north side of build
ing. The apples can then be carted to
the shed in the baskets just as they come
from the tree. in q spring wagon. II
baskets can not be had in sufficient
quantity. the apples can be emptied
from the pickers' baskets into small
boxes in the wagon. Excellent boxes
for this purpose are empty grocers'
boxes which will hold about bUshel.
or the contents of two baskets, and still
not be SO full as to prevent other boxes
being set on them. A hole should BIO
made in each end large enough to adj
NIT the hand. Such boxes can be han
died with dispatch. From these
the apples can be sorted into bar
rels, and the barrels c..n be headed
up at leisure. 1t is imperative that the
apples should not rattle in the barrel
after it is headed. Apples shrink Ii
tie after they are barreled. They will
usually sweat, also. Therefore, delay
the heading up for some days. The bar
rel should be rather more than full
when the head is pat in. II the upper
layer Of apples is considerably bruised
no harm will result, especially if the
head is soft wood, 40 that the juice is
readily absorbed. 1t is better to jam
these apples severely than to allow those
in the interior to rattle. If the heading
is done in building, lever press Of
simple construction does good work.
but it requires two men, one to press
and one to adjust the head. A lever
press is nothing more than lever I'M
der girt with the barrel for q fulcrum.
The ordinary screw press is trouble
some. 1t persists in Slowing to one side
IS soon as strong pressure is applied.
This may be remedied by having the
iron standards thick and stiff, and Sc
curing long set in which the screw
shall work. II this set or thread Is four
or five inches deep, and if the wooden
cross-bar in which il rests rs correspond
ingly thick and heavy, and we'll secured
to the iron standards. the press should
do good work. 1 have never seen SUCH
a press for sale; it must be made to or
der.
Great pains must be taken in sorting.
Few people are aware of what cOnsti-
tutes first-class apple. Such an apple
must not be immature, Overripe, wOrmy,
or otherwise injured in any part, scabby
or bruised. Very small apples from the
interior OF the tree are usually imma-
ture. Large and highly-colored apples
are apt to be wormy, overripe or of poor
quality. With some experience one can
be able to tell first-class apple by its
feeling. Firss-class apples should not
have their stems pulled out Second
class winter apples can be put upon the
market at once for immediate consump-
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