Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1911-09-21
APPLES FIT FOR BIG PRICES.

proper storage. adequate transports.
ton facilities. placing the fruit on the
market In Its season and when 1t Is
commanding good price. While
there are no hard and fast rules gov
erning the picking of apples, the sue
cessful orchardist strives to harvest his
fruit when 1t has reached its full size
and has developed. in the case OF col
ored varieties, a normal, or, If possible.
a maximum, amount Of color. Apples
should not hang until they have begun
to rpen If a long keeping fruit Is de-
sired.
The ability so to grade and to pack
apples that when they are Offered for
sale they present an attractive appear.
ance because Of uniformity and mini
mum amount Of injury from transpor-
tation Is valuable asset to the or
chardist This one item determines
largely the success or failure of the
grower to realize the best market price
for his product. In order to present
must be of nearly uniform size and
color and present few surface deface-
ments. In packing either a barrel or
box the package should be carefully
faced with fruit which should as near
~ as possible represent its average
contents. Facers. however, may be
somewhat higher colored than the aver,
age without seriously m!srepresentin2
the contents of the package. Barrel
packages are either single or double
faced, usually the latter In fac ng Il
package the stem end is placed down.
ward. BY judicious select n Of fAcr"s
the packer can usually manage to
have a well filed layer Large INFER
stices or irregular arrangement. eff Il"
fruit in the facer rows de.racts mate
rally from the finished appearance of
the package. Likewise high colorei
fruit should not be mixed with medi-
UNI or low colored fru.: I: the facer
row. Uniformity in size, ..ranl ement,
color and freedom from blemishes are
four points to be kept in mind
The observance of these details
alone does not. however, insure an at
tractive package when opened. An
other necessary precaution Is that the
package shall be sufficiently well filled
SO that when headed 1t will be just
firm enough to hold the fruit In place
and not so tight as to bruise a con.
siderable proportion Of 1t. A clean,
bright barrel should be used, In which
a plain or corrugated paper cap
should be placed to lessen the bruising
and add to the attractiveness Of the
package. The bottom being faced the
barrel should be half filed with fruit
poured In carefully by lowering the
basket well into the barrel and given
a thorough shaking to settle the ap'
pies into place. This operation should
be repeated when the barrel Is nearly
full. 1t Is then filed trifle above
the chimes, the top layer being ar'
ranged as uniformly as possible. The
contents of the barrel are then press
ed into place with well padded head
specially prepared for this purpose
When this false head is removed
plain or preferably corrugated paper
cap is added and the top cover press
ed into place with screw or level
barrel header and nailed firmly into
place. Tough twigs may be used fol
Cheating
When barrels are filed too full tn,
pressing may injure all the apples
When filed too light to provide fol
shrinkage during shipment the apples
present an even sorrier appearance.