Show IG AMOUNT 11 bount OF APPLES REACH EACH R MARKET EACH FAU fall IMPAIRED IN QUALITY xa az Z t pit a 1 01 IN f 44 an apple sizer and grader in operation prep prepared red by the united states department or of agriculture with a view to meeting the needs of apple growers in the east middle west and elsewhere who have not laced their business on the most profitable basis the bureau of markets has just published farmers bulletin no preparation of apples for the market 11 the apple crop in ft a majority of the states is shipped in an barrels A large amount of the fruit reaching the market each season is impaired in quality by being picked tit at the wrong stage of maturity either too early or too late the grower must realize that fruit is not ready to be picked when it clings to the spurs so tightly that the spurs are pulled out or broken furthermore the color of fruit which eventually turns red is not always a reliable index the intensity of the color being dependent upon the prevailing cloudiness or brightness of the weather whether or not the red color develops normally a reliable indication of maturity is a ground color which when the fruit is ready for picking should be turning from clear green to a whitish green or greenish yellow yellow tellow green and russet varieties of apples tire are generally ready to pick when they have attained the proper size and the stems separate readily from the spurs in picking opples apples the stem should be separated from tile the spur either by giving the fruit a slight light rotating motion co combined in with a sharp upward twist or by exerting a slight pressure with the thumb or forefinger at the joint of the stem ani and spur pur just as the fruit is pulled A variety of picking utensils are commented on in the bulletin some of are mentioned for special approval in removing the crop it Is generally advantageous to use both sacks and baskets as the latter are especially convenient for gathering fruit near the ground while the sacks can be used to advantage for ladder work as the pickers have both hands free the chief disadvantage of sacks is that their use involves a greater possibility of bruising the fruit in emptying either the basket or the sack care should be taken to avoid dropping the fruit if a basket is used it should be lowered to the bottom of the lug box or other receptacle and inverted gently A certain type of sack Is constructed ted with a drop bottom so that the fruit can be emptied without bruising it ladders make or mar much bluch efficiency in picking depends on the use of ladders of the proper prop er type several varieties ire are in common use stepladders step ladders are especially satisfactory is for work in small trees and in picking from the lower bran branches clip s of larger trees the most desirable types are wide and flaring at the bottom narrow at the top and supported with but one prop As a rule not consideration Is given to the selection of ladders where the crop Is packed over tables that are arc moved about the orchard the packers usually carry the fruit in the picking utensil to the packing table while it Is common practice for the pickers to do this it should be avoided by assigning certain merr members ibers of tho the crew to this task they should also furnish the pickers with empty receptacles as needed use of sorting tables two types of grading or sorting tables are almost exclusively where the fruit Is graded in the orchard and they are aed to a large extent in packing houses these are the apron table arid the canvas or burlap table the apron table or a variation of this type Is commonly used in all sections the bed which Is slatted so that trash falls through it Is inclined causing the fruit as it Is graded to roll to the lower end where on opening a stop or drop it Is lowered by means of an apron into the barrel while work can be flone done rather rapidly with this table it is not altogether satisfactory as the fruit frequently crowds past tho the sorters and permits carelessness on their part the canvas or burlap 1 table la Is ronde made with ft a piece 0 of this material stretched elied over i a rectangular frame and Is not fitted for running the fruit from the apron into the barrel the apples must be sorted sordid by hand into baskets in which they are lowered into barrels the advantage of tills this is that all apples are subject to careful inspection sizing machines for barrel apples are gaining popularity they have been used in the northwest for several years for sizing boxed apples but operate on a different principle than abat employed in apple sizing machines at present sizing machines are being used quite extensively for barrel packing in all sections to meet the demand for apples of uniform size the most common practice throughout the barrel apple sections is to separate the fruit into two standard sizes sizes aa to ODA 2 inches and va inches and larger there are a variety of machines employed to do this work each featuring some distinctive mechanical device or sorting process in general any of these will size apples satisfactorily for barrel packing in making a selection the apple grower must determine which machine has a capacity proportionate to the size of his orchard find and can be operated most economically nom no he should also look for one of simple design and free from features requiring too much adjustment and should make sure that it will not bruise the fruit the durability of the machine should also be considered si the various methods of feeding the fruit to the sizing machine should also be studied carefully as it influences directly the total daily output and consequently the cost of operation era tion only small machines can be operated by hand power some of the simplest types having a capacity of perhaps barrels a day can be run in this way but in most cases the gasoline engine or electric motor is preferable the ripple grower raising any con sid erable quantity of fruit should give careful atte attention ution to the advantages of mechanical conveyors which save much labor both in handling loose fruit and light packages operation of grading laws the enactment of grading lawi inas fol foi apples is a comparatively recent development the present federal law knonk as the sulzer law took effect july 1 1913 and at about the same time a number of states also passed laws for several seasons the state laws have not been entirely sue successful cess in obtaining results desired many abany were enacted hurriedly and most of them contained provisions not consia consistent with commercial practices the degree of enforcement in differ different cn t states has varied markedly Furt furthermore heik fruit from many af of the states having these state laws frequently appears in the same markets and the use of identical grade terms having different meanings in different states has in a way defeated the purpose of the law in spite of these objections however a state law that Is practical in its specifications and intelligently enforced will carry with it many advantages the grower who feels the need of 0 a packing house will find suggestions in the section of the bulletin devoted to designs of such buildings floor plans of various types are suggested one provides for an output of barrels a day and a second plan shows a house equipped with throe three grading machines having a total capacity of 1200 barrels a day A third plan provides tor for an output from two machine alnes with a total capacity of barrels a day partial suggestions relating to hauling concludes the bulletin As a large part of the barrel crop of the conary is packed in the orchard it Is necessary to haul the packed fruit from two to fifteen miles under many conditions especially where roads are favorable vo rable motor trucks ore are best suited for this work the farm wagon most commonly used Is equipped with either an ordinary wagon bed or a three pole frame and has bas a capacity of 15 barrels both types of wagon should bo be equipped with springs preferably bolster springs for careful handling of the packed fruit Is quite as important ns as care in the packing operations |