The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-12-15


be held in Spokane, December 7-12, on
the theme "The Porter Bill and the
Proposed Change in the Size of the
Apple Box" AS l could not be in at
tendance, L. G. Monroe, the secretary,
kindly offered to read the paper for
me. Much that was in the paper has
been pretty fully discussed in the col
umns of the Ranch during the past
six months. 1t would be useless to
burden our columns with repetitions,
so quite a considerable portion of the
paper is left out. But there is one
phase of this question brought out in
this paper that has not been so fully
discussed in these pages, so I present
it as follows:
Another mistake about our Stand
ard Box is the assumption that 1t
holds no more than it's cubic contents.
We could just as truly say that the
half bushel measure holds no more
tnan it's cubic contents when 1t is
heaped up. Any fruit grower knows
that We must pack our apples so that
when the box is nailed up there must
be a bulge on both the top and bot
tom. We must make our apples tight
in the box or they would be ruined
in being shipped across the continent
and frequently to Europe. This bulge
is from half inch to one inch and
a half, in some rare cases, on both
the top and the bottom of the box. In
our packing house we have specially
prepared benches on which our
packed apple boxes are nailed up.
The box to be nailed is not set fiat
on the bench, but on cleats at each
end and the top is put on with press.
This is done that the bulge may be
on both the top and bottom.
How much does that bulge add to
the contents of the box? In order TO
properly answer that question | have
been doing some measuring ana ng-
uring, and now give the results.
Where the bulge is one-haf men on
both top and bottom, the space added
is 1895 cubic inches; where the Dulge
is an inch on both top and bottom,
the addition is represented by 2O7
cubic inches: and where the bulge is
as great as one and one-half inches,
then the space added is 31O.5 cubic
inches. In reality the amount OF
space added in each of these meas
urements is considerably more than
what I have given. In my calcutta
lions | have supposed that the lines
from the highest point in the center
of the box to the ends are stra1gnt,
but every experienced apple grower
knows that they are not, but that 1hey
are curved lines with the greatest
curve near the ends. This curvlng
near the ends would add something
like one-fourth to the increase in the
contents of the box, so that my figures
should be about 1898, 1851 and 1878
cubic inches. From these measure
ments and calculations we can plainly
see that our apple boxes contain from
1888 cubic inches to 1878 cubic
inches in excess of the cubic contents.
But there is another thing to be
reckoned with in favor OF our manner
of putting up our apples in boxes, V1z.'
we do not pour our apples into our
boxes. but they are sorted into diff
ferent sizes and then carefully packed
by hand in our boxes, so as to be tight
in all directions. Empty the apples
out of a box packed in this way and
pour them in as the custom Is where
thew do the measuring in the half
bushel. and you will have a heaped
I'D box: or pour them into the half
bushel measure and you will have Two
heaped half bushels. I have stood In
nv hacking house while thousands OF
boxes of apples were passed from the
hackers to the one who nailed them
ND. and I aver that in all cases the
hacked boxes were more than lever
full. In fact in our packing house
the rule is that If box is not heaped
somewhat 1t is sent back to be re-
packed, so that, if in any case, box
should appear to be level full, 1t is
because the press has settled the
apples somewhat. I am perfectly con-
fdent that not one box In a thousand
goes out of our packing house that