The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1903-10-14
Picking and Packing Apples.

tendency to shrivel and become tough
from loss of moisture. 1t also lacks col
or. If allowed to stand on the trees
longer the apples take on a better color
but are more liable to rot in storage. 1t
should be borne in mind, however, that
if apples are picked moderately early
they will continue to color up after be-
ing gathered. 1t is usually better to
pick them as early as possible without
their being liable to shrivel after the
picking, even though their best color has
not been reached. For general storage
the mistake of picking too late more
frequently occurs than that of picking
too early. If apples are to be stored in
the ordinary cellar they should be pick
ed earlier than if they are to be put in
cold storage, for the reason that in the
cellar the breaking down process of the
fruit goes on more rapidly during the
winter than it does in the low tempera-
ture of cold storage buildings.
Certain varieties should be picked
earlier than others. Generally speaking,
those which ripen earliest should be
gathered first, and the latest keepers
should be the last to be taken from the
trees. The Jonathan, for instance
usually should be picked a month ear
| lier than the Ben Davis. The Johna-
than and York should be picked before
| they have reached their full color which
is usually some time in September. The
Grimes Golden should be picked when
the earliest specimens begin to assume
their yellow color and when the seeds
begin to turn black Ben Davis and Ga
no are usually gathered in October, when
they have taken on good color, and the
later keepers, like Ingram, Jenet, Wine
sap and Clayton, may be allowed to re-
main upon the trees even Il little later.
In gathering apples they should be
| handled so as to receive as few bruises
as possible. They should never be shak-
en- or knocked from the trees, but pick
ed singly, in the hand, placed in half
bushel baskets, well padded with bur
lap, and handled as little as possible be-
fore they are finally put in barrels or
boxes Every apple should be picked
with the stem on. 1t is as much part
of the apple as the skin itself. Pull
ing out the stem leaves wound in the
cavity of the apple where bacteria and
germs of decay find convenient breed
ing place. Not only should all bruises
of the skin be avoided. but the natural
waxy color of the apple should, so far as
possible be retained intact
a cool place in an open shed or under
the shade of trees should be selected for
the packing. Apples should be cooled
as much as possible before they are put
into barrels. If boxed up and put
in storage hot they are very liable to
decay badly before the mass becomes
cooled through.
In barrelling two layers of apples
should be placed with stems toward the
head in the bottom of the barrel, the
last apple in each layer being of such
size as to wedge the layer tight. Other
apples may then be carefully put in
The apples should be very frequently
shaken down into place by lifting the
barrel up and down, and shaking it side
ways, SO that during the filling process
the fruit will be packed as tightly as
possible. When the barrel is nearly full
two more layers of headers should be
placed in, so the last layer will stand
about one inch above the chime of the
barrel. The clamp should then be ad-
justed and the head pressed down in
to place, to retain the fruit tight in the
barrel. If fruit is loosely packed, so
that it will move about during handling
or shipment, the apples become bruised
and rot badly After filling, the barrels
should be placed where they will cool off
as quickly and thoroughly as possible,
and never be piled in large masses dur
ing hot days.
Ordinarily two or three grades of APP
Piles are made. In some cases the very
finest specimens are selected, double
wrapped in tissue paper, and packed in
bushel boxes or barrels to catch the
highest prices in the market In places
where Jonathan, Grimes Golden and
York are grown it is highly desirable to