Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-11-10
FRUIT PACKING.
A Few Of the Hest Methods Used IN
the NgrthNcst.


will bring but medium price when poor
| " packed; also, lower grade apples will
bring n very good return when most at
tractiyelv packed, says w. g. Briefly
| in Pacific Homestead The highest grade
fruit packed in the very best manner
| brings the highest price. SO. II we are
intent on raising the already high quality
of the fruit, we must also watch for
every opening whereby the pack may be
raised in standard excellence.
We can improve our pack simply by
! using n little more care and taking more
| time to each box, or by more careful
| selection of the size of box to conform
TO the variety and size. The use of the
| two styles of box--the standard and the
| specal-ought to be made more general.
Their use possibly gives slight confu-
sion when II comes to loading car, but
| good management will overcome this OBJ
| lection, and the fact that they give a
more smooth accommodation of sizes
more than balances this objection The
| straight four-ter square pack which.
| while on exhibition at Spokane. was
| scaled down on account of the end row
! of apples being bruised. could have been
| kept more nearly perfect by greater care
! in packing. The cutting down of the en-
! ira quarter-inch or eght-inch Mt the box
ends by little more careful selection
| would have given a tight pack and no
| appreciable brusng. This point OF proper
| height at the ends of square pack Is OF
| great Importance. as tho apples press
| directly upon tho ones below. affording
no accommodation, as does the diagonal
pack. Tho apples should finish practically
| flush with the OK end, allowance being
made only for enough to hold the APP
| pies tight without crushing. While the
| diagonal pack IS better in many ways
than the square pack, I do not think 1t
advisable to put any heavy restrictions
upon the square style. 1t Is neat, at
tractive pack. and certainly has it's place.
More care in packing would seem to cor
| rect IT'S worst fault-that of bruising the
end apples. Still, if We can pack the
, same apples in either style, the diagonal
style would be given the preference
The diagonal pack, while 1t does not
bruise the apples at the end OF the box,
and affords better accommoda ton
throughout the box, is sometimes charged
with the fault of being loose When this
is the case. it nearly always is due to
that the apples do not touch all around,
touching four only instead OF six Of the
what might be called an open" pack in
Surrounding apples of the same tier.
This gives greater possibility of the
apples turning out of position and there
by loosening the pack. II would seem
possible to remedy this fault.by the use
of the other Size Of box. If they pack
open in a special box. the extra half
inch in width of the standard ought to
hiring in ri apl-
open in a standard box, they might be
better suited as square pack in a
special box. The open" style of the
diagonal pack should not be used unless
the apples will fit in no other way. The
diagonal pack at Its best should of
course. show no spaces between the ap-
pies on any tier. but each apple should
touch all six of its neighbors
In discussing wrappings. the questions
come up, "Do We gain anything by
wrapping our apples"" and also rs the |
wrapped pack any better than the un-
wrapped pack?" With the wrapped pack |
there is more expense. but only a little, !
Yet. by 1t the pack gains in stability in |
that the apples keep their places better, |
being not nearly liza BILE to turn or twist
out Of place. Each apple is separated
By the paper, and where the fold of the |
paper comes there is "A considerable cush- |
ion formed which will protect the apples |
against brulsing when the cover is nailed |
on, and further protect while the box is |
in transit. Also, by a neat. attractive |
trademark; upon each wrapper you at
tract more attention to the district where |
the fruit Is grown. This counts especially |
trh hI f,,ti, ~.
and is open for inspection. The wrapper
may cover up the attractive. high color
but a few wrappers removed when en-
posed for sale will give the color of fruit
In its true value So. on the whole. II |
would appear that the wrapped pack has !
enough advantages to warrant its more !
general adoption.
Concerning the labels for box ends
there is one point which should he borne
in mind. and that is to have the color |
scheme attractive but not too gaudy.
There is movement under way which |
is Of considerable Importance to the fruit |
growing interests. which has for its OBJ
Ject the adoption of standard system OF |
grading for every district ought TO have |
the backing Of every fruit grower re- |
sardless of any sectional feeling. If the |
different sections will agree to adopt a |
standard system of grades it will do away |
with Il great deal of confusion among
dealers and consumers in the markets.
As 1t Is now. unless they are we'll &C
quainted with the products of any sec
lions. they cannot ne at all sure that two
boxes REPRESENTING these two sections
and having the same grade marks will
be really of III. same grade. uni
form grade would give better satisfac-
ton at tic other end of the shipment
ard would in no way interfere with
any section in its Independence of la
being or advertising. We might pat
tern somewhat after the Canadian fruit
marks act" and place in the hands of
every fruit grower specification of the
different grades.
The sizes of boxes In Csc In the north
west were not produced by any enactment
OF legislative body. but they are the
result OF at least twenty years of eX-
perience and experiment. Our boxes are
made to fit our fruit, and the passing of
standard apple box law by Congress.
" IL is TO give us a form OF box not |
aoapted to our use, would set us back IN
pack formation almost ten years. 1t may
ne that the motive behind such n measure
is antasonistic and purposely so. but if
the idea IS simply to make n certain box
standard for the whole country then any
congressman with that burden could not
90 he'ter than to look at our boxes |
winch nave proven their worth. when he
~ making up his bill. However. il the