The Newark journal., 1906-10-26

off and it goes into the Gull pile.
We hitch to low wheeled wagon
and set % boxes on the platform. We
then go to the field with a wagon and
pickers and put the team midway be-
| tween two rows of trees. Our force
consists of from eight to IL pickers
| and foreman. The foreman's busi-
ness Is to keep the wagon up even
with the pickers, to see that the pick
ers do not get too far away from the
wagon or do not get huddled up so as
to interfere with each other. to see
that they pick the apples clean and
| to keep the time of the men.
When the picker fills his sack which
is shown in the cut, he goes to the
wagon, raises the bottom of the sack
little and rests it into the box. un
hooks a flap on the bottom and the
apples roll out into the box. Enough
ladders are taken along to pick the
apples above reach from the ground.
The loaded wagon is driven to the
packing house and the boxes are set
upon platforms alongside.
Sometimes when parts of our or
chards are too far from the packing
house we pack in the field. We take
two planks 2x8 inches by 16 feet. One
end of each of these planks is cut
sloping. and they are raised for run
ners. We set them on edge, six feet
apart and nail cross pieces every two
feet and then lay common fencing
boards lengthwise on this sled. On
this We set our sorting table length
wise on the front end. Hitch a team to
the sled. drive to the field and do our
packing the same as in the packing
house.
If the trees are very full the sled
can be drawn along between two rows
and the pickers can empty their sacks
directly onto the sorting table. Some
of our neighbors use this sled and
prefer it to the packing house.
Our sorting table, says the CORE
spondent of Farm and Home, is eight
feet long by three or four feet wide.
The back end being eight inches high
er than the front, which should be 80
inches high The bottom is made of
half-round strips with a space of one
inch between to let the leaves and
trash through. On the sides six-inch
boards are nailed to hold the apples.
In the upper end a three-inch strip is
nailed.
The apples are poured on the upper
end and two sorters on each side do
the work. The second and third
grades are sorted out while spread
upon the table and carried away.
These are nearly always sold in bulk
and SO are put in piles or loaded di-
rectly into the cars which stand on
the side track by the packing house.
The first grade apples are rolled on
down to the lower end of the table and
into the barrel or box. The first
grade consists of all sound fruit
above 2A inches in diameter. If this
first grade is fancy or little disposed
to be soft, we pack them in boxes,
but if they are good solid winter va
rieties we generally pack in barrels.
Our boxes are 1SA inches long, and
liz inches square, inside measure
ment. The ends are q inch thick and
the sides, bottom and top, 81 inch
stuff. This box holds about one bushel
We place a layer of fair sized ap-
pies, uniform in size and color with
the stem ends down. Then fill up the
box. shake down well, level up the top
so that the apples are from Il to u
inch above the top of the box, put on
the top and with a press force it down
and nail each end, then nail on cleat
at each end. We then turn the face
side up and with rubber stamp mark
the name of the variety and our
brand. The box is then ready TO ship
THE ORCHARD.