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Packages for horticultural produce. The choice of a package and the method of packing horticultural products are very important considerations to every grower who is interested in establishing a reputation for his goods. The commercial value of well-grown produce of choice varieties may be greatly lessened or utterly destroyed if the attempt is made to market it in poor uninviting packages, or if it is poorly packed! Inferior produce or poor varieties are sometimes sold for prices above their real value when packed in an extra attractive way.
Packages for horticultural produce. The choice of a package and the method of packing horticultural products are very important considerations to every grower who is interested in establishing a reputation for his goods. The commercial value of well-grown produce of choice varieties may be greatly lessened or utterly destroyed if the attempt is made to market it in poor uninviting packages, or if it is poorly packed! Inferior produce or poor varieties are sometimes sold for prices above their real value when packed in an extra attractive way.
The choice of a marketing package for horticultural products is based largely on customs.
These customs have developed gradually along with the growth of the industry in any special region, and when suitable and valuable they persist and become firmly fixed for the crop in that section. However, the supply of the raw material and the possibility of securing large quantities of it at a low price are important considerations besides
custom. Examples of the custom of adopting a special package in a certain region might be cited, as barrels for apples in the eastern states, boxes in the western states.
Peaches are generally packed in flat boxes in the western orchards, and each fruit is wrapped in paper; the same varieties of peaches are marketed from the southern states in six-basket carriers and the fruits are not wrapped, while from Michigan the same variety may be shipped in bushel baskets and from New York orchards in the Delaware type of basket. In general, it would not be advisable to pack any crop in a
way that would widely violate the general custom of the community, unless the grower has a special market to receive his produce prepared in his special way.
The illustrations accompanying this article (Figs. 2698-2718) show some of the diverse forms of packages for fruits and vegetables now in use in North America. The methods of packing cut-flowers are discussed in the article devoted to that subject, pages 922-925, Volume II. The separate fruits may also be consulted under their alphabetic entries.
Apples (Figs. 2698-2704, to show the classes only).
Since the beginnings of commercial apple orcharding, the barrel has been regarded as the standard package for the holding and shipping of apples. The size used has varied at different times and in different sections. The size now specified by the United States Government as standard for apples is, when measured without distention of its parts: Length of stave, 28 1/2 inches; diameter of head, 17 1/8 inches; distance between heads, 26 inches; circumference of bulge, 64 inches outside measurement ; representing as nearly as possible 7,056 cubic inches. Barrels for apples have been in favor for many years, and promise to remain so, for the reason that they are cheap, easily secured in most regions, can be readily handled and easily and quickly packed, and the trade has become
thoroughly accustomed to them.
The bushel box has been the standard package for apples in the western United States since apple-production has been of commercial importance in those regions. The box is occasionally used by growers in the eastern apple regions. Formerly its use was always associated with fancy grade high-quality fruit. Western fruits shipped to eastern markets were of this class and always came in boxes. Some eastern growers thought that if even ordinary grades and quality of fruit were packed in bushel boxes, the attractive prices that were secured for western fruit could be secured upon the reputation of the package. The delusion was not long-lived.
As compared with the barrel, the box is a more attractive package, more easily handled, shipped and stored. It is easier to sell from in a store or on a fruit- stand, and when the apples are closely sized, the exact number in every package is known, and they are of uniform size, and this is of value to dealers and restaurant-keepers.
Boxes cost about one-third as much as barrels, and they hold about one-third as much, but more time is required properly to pack three boxes with apples than to pack one barrel properly. The Government standard bushel box for apples is 18 by 11 1/2 by 10 1/2 inches, inside measurement.
There are various styles, those used in the western states being made with solid ends, and two pieces each for the top and bottom, and one piece for the sides. In the East, where the box is used, panel ends instead of solid pieces are used; otherwise the same as the western style.
Apples are usually packed into barrels in the orchard, but sometimes may be carried to a packing-house or shed. A common way is to empty them from the picking- bag or -basket upon a packing- or sorting-table. From this pile, the "facers" are selected. These are fruits of a uniform size and should be of such a color as will honestly represent the average of the crop.
The facers are then laid by hand in the then bottom, but later top, of the barrel. Sometimes two layers are placed in by hand. The barrel is then filled by emptying the apples from a basket that can be lowered into the barrel, or emptied from the apron attached to the lower end of the table. The barrel should be frequently "racked," i. e., given several short, quick, vigorous shakes, to settle the fruit and cause one to roll or slip over the other and thus become firmly lodged. When the barrel is well filled, a layer of apples is placed by hand on top. This
operation is known as "tailing," and the cover is pressed into place and held there by driving the hoops down toward the larger part of the barrel, and sometimes by nailing.
Appliances or machines to size the fruits are used when apples are packed in bushel boxes, and with the recent enactment of laws in several states requiring that the minimum size of the fruits be marked upon the package this becomes necessary when packed in barrels. This sizing may
be done by the eye and hand or with the aid of a sizing-board, but for rapid work a machine is necessary. There are a great many kinds, and new styles are manufactured and offered for sale every season. (Figs. 2700-2703.) These machines are shown not necessarily for recommendation but to illustrate some of the types.
Grading is the operation of selecting the fruits that are similar in appearance and value. No machine can do this; it must be done by hand. Grades are variable, depending upon the general crop of the season, the ideals of the packer, and the governmental requirements. Usually there
is a "Fancy," "Grade A." and "Grade B;" or, it is frequently designated as "Fancy," "Standard," and "Choice."
The art of properly packing the graded and sized apples in the bushel box requires skill and practice. There are well-known standardized ways of doing this work. Details of this operation may be found in Cornell Bulletin No. 298.
Apples are also packed in one-bushel hampers, a commonly used package for summer varieties in the Atlantic Coast states, and also in peck and one-half- bushel market baskets (Fig. 2699), and peck crates.
It is always necessary to exercise the greatest care in the picking of the fruit and in handling it from the tree. A good lined picking - basket, with swing handle, is shown in Fig. 2704.
Citrous fruits.
Citrous fruits are cut from the trees with shears. Care always should be taken to make a smooth close cut, as any injury to the skin or a long stem that may puncture a fruit that it comes in contact with may lead to serious decay. The picked fruit is placed in a bag, or sack, or basket,
and, when filled, this is emptied into a "picking-," "field-," or "lug-" box. It is then hauled to the packing-house, where it is graded by skilled workmen and then carefully sized. The different sizes are packed into standard-size boxes. The orange box, which is made of wood and is 12 by 12 by 26 inches outside measurement, with a partition in the center, may hold from 40 to 400 fruits, but the common sizes are 96, 112, 120, 150, 176, and 200.
Lemons are very carefully graded and sized by hand. A lemon box has outside measurements of 11 by 14 1/2 by 27 inches and holds from 180 to 540 fruits, but the most common and valuable sizes are 300 and 360 fruits.
Pomelos, commonly called grapefruit, are handled in a similar way and packed in the same kind of package as is used for oranges.
In a few cases, half-boxes of all these fruits are packed. All citrous fruits are wrapped in tissue paper.
In Fig. 2705 is shown an interesting native basket or hamper in the Philippines. (Wester.)
Cherries.
Cherries are hand-picked from the tree with the whole stems adhering to the fruit, or the stems are cut with shears; rarely, when the fruit is to be canned soon after picking, it is pulled from the stem. In this case it is carried to the canning plant in boxes which are lined with
newspapers. As the fruit is picked, it is placed in baskets or pails and carried to the packing-station, where it is weighed or measured, graded and packed. The packages may be Climax baskets, ten-pound flat boxes, or sixteen-quart crates. The fine varieties of sweet cherries, especially from the western states, are often packed in the ten-pound box. The bottom layer is carefully placed in by hand and enough fruit to make a firm tight pack distributed over the bottom layer, and the cover pressed on.
Grapes.
Grapes are cut from the vines with special grape shears. Fine varieties for fancy market are handled with care, so as not to rub off the bloom. They may be packed in the shipping package in the field, but are usually carried to the packing-house in trays. Some growers prefer to hold them in the packing-house for a day or two, to allow the stems to "wilt," as they can then be more easily handled. The packing is usually performed on a table or bench, and from the picking- box or tray into the shipping package.
The most common package is a five-, eight- or ten- pound Climax basket with a solid wooden cover. Grapes intended for wine are marketed in peck or half- bushel baskets, and in New York flat trays are commonly used.
Pears.
Pears were formerly packed in a small barrel or keg holding about five pecks, and more recently pear barrels were commonly used. These held about a peck less than the standard apple barrel.
The packages now used are the standard barrel and the bushel box, the same as the apple. When the box is used, each fruit is wrapped in paper.
Pineapples.
Pineapples are packed in crates that hold two dozen fruits, and each one is wrapped in paper.
Peaches.
Peaches are picked into baskets of various types, the one-half bushel swing- handle type being the most common, and are carried to the packinghouse. In some regions mechanical sizing machines, similar to apples, or sized by hand. They may be packed for shipment into flat
twenty-pound wooden boxes, and each fruit wrapped in paper. This is the general custom in the western states. In the eastern states the stovepipe or Delaware basket (Fig. 2706), holding sixteen quarts, is used. There may be a slat cover or netting cover, and a light crate that will hold three of these baskets is sometimes used.
The six-basket Georgia carrier is a standard peach package (Fig. 2707). It requires special skill to pack fruit into these baskets properly and rapidly. The half-bushel and bushel baskets are also well recognized peach packages. A round stick placed in the center of the package to
support the cover insures a minimum amount of bruised fruit.
Plums.
Plums are shipped in a great variety of packages. Fancy grades are wrapped in paper and packed in two-quart baskets and four of these are held in a flat wooden box or crate that weighs about twenty pounds. Large fruit varieties are wrapped in paper and packed in flat twenty-pound boxes the same as peaches. Climax baskets, holding from five to twenty pounds are used, also half-bushel and bushel baskets. Small-fruit varieties, like the Dawson, may be shipped in sixteen-quart cases.
Small-fruits (Figs. 2708, 2709).
The berry-like fruits, as blackberry, currant, dewberry, gooseberry, loganberry, raspberry, and strawberry, are almost universally packed in the sixteen- quart crate. In the past, these fruits, especially the strawberry, have been marketed in a great variety of packages, but in
recent years the sixteen-quart crate has rapidly become the standard and widely recognized package.
This package is also commonly used for the small-fruit plums, especially Damsons, and for cherries, both sweet and sour.
The quart boxes are often taken into the field and "picked into," and then carried to the packing-station and placed in the case; or the fruit pickers use a special picking-basket or box, and this is delivered to the packing-station and the quart boxes filled there, where the fruit may be graded and the work of the pickers examined.
Cranberries are picked from the vines by special machines or by hand, and packed in barrels. Occasionally twenty-pound wooden cases are used.
Vegetables (Figs. 2710-2718).
Packages used for the shipment of vegetables are not so evenly standardized as those used for fruits. Custom, however, seems to be of about the same importance, for similar vegetables grown in different regions are packed in different ways.
Asparagus is cut and tied in bunches of various sizes. In a few sections the loose stalks are packed in small boxes or crates, but the usual form is a "bunch," and these bunches are packed in any handy-sized box.
Hamper baskets holding from twenty-eight quarts to one and one-fourth bushels are commonly used for packing beans, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, sweet potatoes; but a variety of packages is used for some of these products and for most of them ventilated barrels
are used.
Beets are packed in crates, the same as cabbage.
Brussels sprouts are shipped in quart boxes like small- fruits, and these are placed in cases holding thirty- two, forty-eight or sixty quarts, the forty-eight-quart size being the most common.
Field-grown cauliflower is packed in ventilated barrels; the greenhouse product is packed in small flat boxes or trays that will hold six heads (Fig. 2714).
Packages for shipping celery are of many kinds. Each producing district has its own packages. A common one is a slat crate that varies from 6 by 8 by 24 inches to 10 by 26 by 24 inches. The plants, after being trimmed, are packed upright in these crates, which may or may not be lined with paper. With a fancy product, each bunch is wrapped in paper. A tight flat box, holding twenty-four or more bunches, is frequently used for express shipments.
Cucumbers are packed in baskets (Fig. 2715). hampers, flat boxes, and barrels. Lettuce is packed in barrels,hampers, and frequently in crates 16 inches wide, 23 inches long and 8 1/2 inches deep. Such a case will hold two dozens heads of No.1 or two and one-half dozen heads of No.2.
Mushmelons are packed in Climax baskets, flat boxes (Fig.2716), and crates. Sometimes each melon is wrapped in paper. Special retail packages for celery and sweet corn are shown in Figs. 2717 and 2718.
Onions are shipped in bags holding two bushels, in slat crates holding one bushel, in half-barrel hampers, and various other types of packages, and also in bulk.
Potatoes are commonly shipped loose in a box-car. In cold weather, the car must be lined with paper and a heater in each car keeps them warm enough to prevent freezing. In some sections, the practice is to use bags holding about two bushels. Barrels are frequently used. Ventilated
barrels are commonly used for sweet potatoes. Special baking potatoes from some regions are wrapped in paper and packed in bushel boxes. Squash is usually packed in ventilated barrels. Sweet potatoes from New Jersey are packed in hamper baskets; those grown in Virginia, in
barrels.
Tomatoes are packed in flat boxes, Climax baskets, six-basket Georgia peach-carriers, and hamper baskets. They may or may not be wrapped in paper. For local markets, a great assortment of packages are used, but the peck and half-bushel market basket is the most common. H. J. Eustace.
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