Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-01-12
APPLE PACKING BY EXPERTS.
The Wny in Which IL Is Done In Call
ifornin for the Eastern and
European Markets.

European Markets.
Thirty years ago ranchers from 100
miles to the south journeyed to Wat
sonyille TO lay in, at fabulous prices,
their scanty winter supplies cf eastern
dried apples. To-day, TO quote local
paper, fruit buyers are thicker than
commercial tourists" The fruit they
have come to buy is apples-appleS
mainly of two varieties, the bellefieur
(Americanized as bellflower) and the
yellow Newtown pippin. The belltiow-
er. Juicy, luscious, is the standard fall
apple; the Newtown, crisp and aro-
matte. is the winter apple of the civ
ilized world.
In most localities these peculiar ap-
pies cannot be proftably grown. They
are shy bearers or unthrifty growers.
But in southern Santa Cruz and north
ern Monterey, where purls the pictured
Paiaro. nature has provided soil and
conditions exactly suited 20 the special
needs. The sandy sediments, where
water is found a few feet from the sur
face. is the home of the bellflower; the
heavier lands prove best for the New
town. In Santa Cruz county alone are
400. 1000 apple trees, Of which 250.O0O ara
now bearing; while Monterey countyis
credited with 10000 acres in orchard.
This seasons crop is estimated at 1900
carloads. which will find consumers not
only in nearly every state of the union,
but also in Europe, Asia and Aus
tralasfa. All the civilized world appre-
ciates a good apple.
The picking, packing and shipping Of
this immense output have grown into
special industry of large proportions.
Strange to say, it has fallen entirely
into the hands of foreigners. The name
of the owner of almost every packing
house ends in ''ich." Lettunich, Puliso-
vich. Opusich. Miovich, StrazoVich, Sou
rich, Stollich, Viuvich, Balovich, Mari
novich, etc, all evidently belonging to
families of Slav origin, and these are
all surnames of Watsonville apple pack
ers.
Watsonville claims the biggest thing
on earth in the shape of an apple-pack-
ing house. 1t covers an area Of $1,000
superficial feet. One end of The huge
shed abuts on the Southern Pacific
track. while the other furnishes facili-
ties for the rapid unloading of the
capacious spring wagons specially built
for this trade, with long fiat beds and
strong springs, to carry 100 boxes or
more filled with fruit loosely packed in
the orchard.
The ''plant" required in the business
Of apple packing is primitive and mex
pensive. The shed is simply floorless
shell, spacious and lofty. In this tracks
are ranged longitudinally 10 receive
small. four-wheeled fat cars, which
make easy the work of unloading
wagons and loading cars. The rest of
the ground space is traversed ny pieces
of scantling, on which are ranged the
boxes Of apples. ten tiers high. Benches
for boxmakers and tables fitted with
iron clamps. operated by foot pressure,
for gently pressing down the bottoms
of the full-paclled boxes ready for the
Mailer constitute the equipment inside
the shed. Outside are two huge "
shaped hoppers. built of lumber, into
which the refuse apples are thrown, to
yield up their juice for cider vinegar.
a store of this vinegar, sharpening in
the suns rays, fills many barrels, whose
bungholes are stopped with wine bot
ties inverted.
The process of packing calls for con-
siderable digital dexterity. In packing
for the California market one of the
first things needful is TO put good face
on things. So the boxmaker nails on
the top of the box first. and this tenn
porarily becomes the bottom. On this,
with their brightest colored cheek
downward. are ranged the showiest
fruit of the grade that is being handled.
These must be selected and fitted with
not a little nicely so as, when gently
pressed, to exactly fill the area of the
boz. but they must not be roughly
squeezed for a few bruised apples spoil
the appearance and sale of the box;
and the bellfower is especially tender.
To facilitate this arranging of the fruit,
the packer tilts the box TO a consider
able angle, so that each apple remains
where it is placed. instead OF rolling
about. as on n level surface When this
first layer is satisfactorily adjusted suo
sequent tiers of the same size are added
until the box is slightly overhiled. u
is then passed to the mailing table, the
bottom pieces laid on, the clamps ap-
piled so carefully as neither to bruise
by overpressure nor to leave the fruit
so loose as to rattle if the box be Jared,
and the nails are driven home. In pack
ing for export the method is quite diff
ferent each apple being wrapped in
separate paper. Another important
point is the grading according to size.
The trade recognizes at least three
grades three tier. four tier and five
tier. This sizing must be rigidly adj
hcred to. and no boxes packed with
mixed sizes. As rule. the largest size
brings the highest price. although this
is not Invariably so. the market for
thrce-tier fruit being limittd.-Sar
Francisco Chronicle