The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-06-01

they proceed with their packing.
Whatever the method pursued, one
thing must be ever kept in view, and
that is that sizes must not be mixed.
Peaches are usually divided into AS
and BIS and extras or fancies. AS
are peaches that will pack eighty or
less to the box and BIS are those too
small to pack eighty. Sometimes C's
are packed and they run from one hun
dred up in SIZE 1t is doubtful If 1t
is best to send to market any peach
that runs over one hundred to the
box. When peaches are so large that
they pack forty-eight or fifty-six to
the box we rank them fancy or extra.
The larger the peach, other things be-
ing equal, the better they sell.
Peaches are always packed on the
Pacific coast in boxes and are two
deep in the box. AS the sizes of the
peaches vary from very large to as
small as they should be packed, the
depth of the boxes must vary. The
length and width of the boxes are al
ways the same and the difference only
in the depth. The shallowest box we
ever use is three inches deep. From
that size they rise in depth, being
three and one-half, four, four and one
half, five and six inches deep. Peaches
are always wrapped with paper. The
wholesale paper dealers prepare the
paper and the different kinds are
known as peach paper, apple paper and
pear paper. Prunes are not wrapped
but have paper between each layer.
Paper is specifically prepared for this
purpose.
There is a serious objection to hav-
ing fruit packed direct from the pick
ing box, and that is that the packer
will roll and tumble the fruit about
in the box in order to find suitable
sizes and thus bruise the fruit The
custom now in the best arranged pack
ing houses is to have tables prepared
by using strong frame covered with
strong cloth reaching from one side
to the other. This presents a soft
surface on which to spread the apples,
peaches or pears. Being spread out
in this way the packer can see what
size he wants without much tumbling
about of the fruit. Where we use sort
ers long table can be prepared by
using two by four scantling for the
frame and strong cloth stretched as in
the case of the small tables just de-
scribed. The sorter should have three
boxes. The peaches or apples to be
packed should be in two sizes and into
the third box the culls should be
placed. Culls may be good fruit for
immediate use, but not suitable for
shipping Some of the very finest
peaches, for instance, may be too ripe
for shipping. These can be used for
canning or drying or can be sold to
neighbors who have no such fruit
Where peaches are raised in large
quantities it often happens that mucA
good fruit, too ripe or slightly bruised,
has to be fed to the pigs. AS the
country advances there will be can
ming establishments and evaporators
that can use up these Gull peaches.
In many packing houses of any size
there must be packing boss or in
spector. 1t is his duty to see that the
packing is we'll done. No bad fruit
should be allowed to go into any box
unless it is marked culls. There is
prevalent idea abroad that many grow
ers want to palm off their inferior
fruit by some trick in packing. The
writer is pretty well acquainted with
fruit growers and their methods of
packing their fruit, and is very free
to say that this is an unwarranted
SANDER upon an honest class of men.
Leaving the question of honesty out
of consideration, as matter of good
business policy it will pay any fruit
grower to honestly pack his fruit and
growers generally know this. There
may be now and then a dishonest and
unwise fruit grower who will try to
put little or inferior apples in the
middle of a box or barrel, but they
are few and far between. But such
tricks will be found out and will most
assuredly prove to be the growers I'M
doiuo GuDpOca that T ShOu1d fell nv