Apples

The care of apples is simple but exact. They should be kept dry and cool—the colder the better, short of freezing—and all bruised or decaying fruit must be removed at once from contact with sound fruit, as otherwise the trouble will speedily spread to an alarming extent.

The packing of apples is changing. The barrel is being superseded by the box— which is a great deal better suited to the retail trade. In the Northwestern and Pacific States it is employed exclusively. The box most commonly used measures inside inches high, by inches wide and about inches long, and holds about one bushel, or nearly fifty pounds of fruit, varying slightly according to the variety.

When the box package is used, the fruit should be carefully graded to uniform size and packed in layers. If wrapped in paper, similar to that used for oranges, a higher price can be obtained than for unwrapped fruit. A fancy display label bear ing the title of the fruit and the name of the grower or dealer should be prominently displayed on each box.

Apple Storage.

The bulk of the apples placed in cold-storage warehouses begin to come into the market after the Christmas holidays, those first sent out being the less hardy varieties which will not keep for any great length of time. Some very choice types can be carried over until early in July, just reaching the sea son when the earlier varieties of the new crop are ready.

Apples are placed in the cold-storage rooms in exactly the same barrels and boxes in which they are shipped from the grower, not even a barrel head or box-lid being removed. The temperature is kept con stantly at about 32° Fahr., and it is a pretty safe assertion that any apples going into the ware house in perfect condition will still be found so when displayed for sale on their re-appearance in the markets.

The New England system of packing apples in sand is said to be a fair substi tute where cold storage is not available. A layer of dry sand is placed in the bottom of the barrel and on this a layer of apples, none of the apples, though, touching each other. Dry sand is then placed both between and over the fruit, the process being con tinued until the barrel is full. Apples packed in this manner keep well, and if one or two in a layer are slightly affected the sand prevents the trouble from being com municated to the others.

Evaporated Apples.

The best grades of evaporated apples are sold as "Fancy," the second quality as "Choice" and the third as "Prime." None but the finest varieties of the white-fieshed kinds should be used for the highest grade "Fancy." Fruit that is too poor to be worked into the "Prime" class is generally utilized by chopping and evaporating the whole fruit, without peeling or coring. The product is known as "chops" and is chiefly exported.

The greater part of the evaporated apple output is handled in 50 lb. boxes, especially for export, bakers' supplies, etc., but for private trade a considerable quantity is put up in cartons, weighing generally 1 lb. gross. The latter method is the most generally satisfactory for retailing, especially if the cartons or boxes are correctly labeled the name of the variety. The labeling is important because of the differing qualities and characteristics of the many kinds. When bulked indiscriminately, a single large box may contain a dozen different varieties, many of them unfit for cooking, and the result of their use is very liable to be disappointing.

See also general article on DRIED AND EVAPORATED FRUIT.