The Osceola times., 1886-10-23
PACKING APPLES,
How to Kcep the Fruit In Prime Con.
ditlon for Winter Consumption.


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 rapdlv
and accurately. The choice apples are
commonly placed directly in the barrel
Only clean barrels should be used. Ola
flour-barrels, unless carefully washed
and dried. will usually impart a musty
flavor TO the fruit before midwinter.
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
erlv done, will not injure the apples.
Egss can be poured. Use a basket with
a 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 potr too rapidly. Two or
three times during the filing
shake the barrel gently to settle
the APPLES firmly Face the upper head
in the same manner as the lower one.
IL is desirable not 10 head up the barrel
at once. Cover with boards to keep out
the rain. and let the barrels stand open
four or five DAYS. II is not, however,
always possible 10 cover the barrels. in
which case they may be headed up at
once and turned down on their sides.
In thi- condition they Will shed water
Thus far | have spoke OF packing out OF
doors. The best results are always Sc
cured under cover. A cheap shed,
which will not leak, is sufficient. It
should be erected in a cool and shady
place. as on the north side OF build
Ing. The apples can then be carted to
the she'd in the baskets just as they come
from the tree, in a spring wagon. IL
baskets can not be had in sufficient
quantity. the apples can be empued
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 bole should be
| made in each end large enough TO adj
1 nit the hand. Such boxes can be han
! died with dispatch. From these
the apples can be sorted into bar
/ rels. and the barrels can be headed
[ up at leisure. 1t Is imperative that the
APPLES should not rattle in the barrel
alter it is headed. Apples shrink 1T
/ tie after they are barreled. They VIII
usually sweat, also. Therefore, delay
/ the heading up for some days. The bar
rel should be rather more than iull
when .he head is put in. II the upper
LAYER Of apples is considerably bruised
no harm will result, especially il the
head is soft wood, 50 that the juice is
readily absorbed II is better TO jam
these apples severely than to allow those
in the interior TO rattle. II the heading
is done in a building, a 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 a lever I'M
der a girt with the barrel for fulcrum.
The ordinary screw press Is trouble
some. 1t persists in slewing to one SIDE
as soon as strong pressure is applied.
I This may be rcmedied by having the
iron standards thick and st o.. and Sc
curing n long set in which tine screw
shall work. II this set or thread is four
or five inches deep. and if the wooden
cross bar in which il rests is correspond
ingly thick and heavy, and well secured
to the iron standards. the press should
do good work. | 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 iirst-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, oyerripe or OF poor
| quality. With some experience one can
be able to tell iirst-class apple by It's
feeling. First-class apples should not
have their stems pulled out. Second
class winter apples can be put upon the
market at once for immediate consump-
ton. b. II. Bdiley IN AgricultarjsL