The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-10-29
APPLE GROWERS
USE SYSTEM
PACKING PLANT WELL EQUIPPED
Hood River Apple & Storage COmpany's
Building Presents Scene Of Activity
and Efficiency

Passing along the county road, the
casual wayfarer would never suspect
that scene of systematic activity was
constantly taking place in the big
warehouse. packing and storage plant
of Hood River Apple & Storage Co.
on the East Side along the track of the
Mount Hood Railway Co. and near the
station of Van Horn: for the big struc-
ture seems very quiet. Wagons drive
up occasionally, leaving their loads of
unpacked fruit fresh from the orchard
pickers. The apples are unloaded with
out the clatter of trucks or any osten-
tation. The wagon driver simply lifts
them to one of the gravity carriers
that protrudes from a doorway onto
the receiving platform, the boxes dis
appearing one by one into the darkened
interior of the building.
But il forms an interesting study to
watch the process through which this
fruit passes after it enters the build.
ing. The Hood River Apple & Storage
Co.has one of the best equipped plants,
if not the best, in any of the apple
growing districts of the northwest.
The company was organized three years
ago by the following growers, whose
places, among the largest in the valley,
are located contiguous and surrounding
the huge packing plant in the banner
East Side orchard district: M. M.
Hill, A. W. Peters, Geo. l.. Smith.
Wilson Fike. E. l.. McClain. Jr., and
E. r. Pooley. 1t was their aim to
prepare place where they could prop
erly grade and pack their fruit and
store it in readiness for the market.
They have. indeed, succeeded in their
plans.
With their big refrigeration and cool
apples directly from the orchards and
place them in cold storage. The fruit
can then be graded and packed out as
they see fit. This process is followed
out in case the fruit is to remain in the
picking boxes any length of time. The
apples are unloaded and transported by
gravity carriers to whatever part OF
the building 1t is desired that it be
placed. IL the fruit is to be graded
and packed out at once, it is sent tC
the room in which is placed the big,
double capacity Cutler grader, operated
by electrical power. Here the apples
are graded in constant stream. The
company is at present employing about
| 80 men. They have eight japanese
sorters and the same number of pack
ers at work. These employees, under
the supervision of single man-Mr.
Hill, himself is usually in charge a
the plant-turn out pack that is al
most perfect in its uniformity. From
the hands of the packers the apples
in their different sizes are properly
marked, on each box appearing the
name of the grower, the variety. the
size, etc, and are taken in charge BY
the mailer, who. equipped with box
mailing press, makes the fruit ready
for shipment.
The perpared box then travels dowr
the gravity carrier to the man, whose
duty it is to check up the fruit owned
by each individual grower. After this
process it is ready for labelling. after
which it is placed in the general pools
of the company. The boxes are piled
high in the rooms of the storage build
ing awaiting shipment.
The Hood River Apple & Storage Co
has a very attractive label, which il
will copyright. 1t is called the Three
H brand. In the center appears the
handsomely Autographed three Hs
! he blue label signifies the extra fancy
product, while the red label denotes
the company's fancy brand. Because
of the system used and the almost per
feet uniformity of pack. 1t is safe t.
say that the trade will come to know
the apples marketed by this company
as extra fancy quality with stability
of grade.
The visitor to the big East Side
packing plant is perhaps more inter
etsed in the gravity carrier than any
other bit of equipment. The carriers
are made up of two rows of small
wheels that turn on ball bearings
They revolve at the slightest touch
And the apple boxes travel along owe
these trans if there is the least bit O.
grade. The boxes of fruit moving
along at rapid gait will turn righ
angle corner and maintain its origina
position on the carrier. The gravity
carrier is a great labor saver. and elm
mates the confusion caused by trucks
The Hood River Apple 4 Storage Co
uses 300 feet of the tramways and ha
planned to put in an additional larg
amount next year. They have ais
planned to install two more Cutie
grading machines next year.
With their well equipped plant. tn
members of this community compan
are in an enviable position. Thei
fruit can be graded to best advantag
at minimum of expense and labo
and with a uniformity that has bee
remarked above. With their own stor
age machinery and plant, it is no
necessary for them to pay heavy stor
age bills locally or abroad. Thei
equipment places them in an indepen
dent position. With side tracks ru
the full length of the building the.
can quickly load number of cars. TIL
gravity carriers are run from tn
building directly into a car, and tn
loading process is thus facilitated.
The Hood River Apple & Storage &c
packing plant building is 275 feet Ion
by an average width of 80 feet. 1t ha
a capacity of $4,000 boxes under re
frigeration, and additional cool spac
for so. 600 boxes of fruit.
The grower members of the concer
practically completed their picking las
week. The wagons of all the grower
lined up at the receiving platforms. an
battery of kodaks and cameras wa
turned loose, registering an interestln
picture. A representative of the Gls
ee;;ar, having been invited to be preser
to inspect the big building, participate
in the picture taking after a visi
through the various departments of th