Spruce is the most reliable and in general the best material. Fir is sometimes used, but is likely to split. Pine is good if strong enough. The ends should be of three-quarter-inch material; the sides of three-eighth-inch, and the tops and bottoms--two pieces each--of one-quarter-inch material. There should also be two cleats each for top and bottom. The sides of the box should be nailed with four, preferably five-penny cement-coated nails, at each end. The cleats should be put neatly on each end and four nails put into them, going through into the top and bottom. Boxes commonly come "knocked down" or in the flat and are usually put together by the grower. They cost from ten to thirteen cents each in the flat. There are several kinds of packs, depending on the size of the apples and the choice of the grower. The diagonal pack with each apple resting over the spaces between others is preferable, but on account of the size of the apples one is often forced to use the straight pack with the apples in regular right angle rows for some sizes. The offset pack, first three (or four) on one side and then on the other, is very much like the diagonal, but not much used on account of its accommodating too few apples in a box. The following table gives the packs, number of rows, number of apples in the row, box to use, and number of apples used to the box, as used at Hood River, Oregon: No. Size expressed apples No. in No. apples in layers in Box per box Tier Pack row depth used -------------------------------------------------------------------- 45 3 3 St. 5-5 3 Standard 54 3 3 St. 6-6 3 Special 63 3 3 St. 7-7 3 Special 64 31/2 2-2 Diag. 4-4 4 Standard 72 31/2 2-2 Diag. 4-5 4 Standard 80 31/2 2-2 Diag. 5-5 4 Standard 88 31/2 2-2 Diag. 5-6 4 Standard 96 31/2 2-2 Diag. 6-6 4 Special 104 31/2 2-2 Diag. 6-7 4 Special 112 31/2 2-2 Diag. 7-7 4 Special 120 31/2 2-2 Diag. 7-8 4 Special 128 4 4 St. 8-8 4 Special 144 4 4 St. 9-9 4 Special 150 41/2 3-2 Diag. 6-6 5 Standard 163 41/2 3-2 Diag. 6-7 5 Standard 175 41/2 3-2 Diag. 7-7 5 Standard 185 41/4 3-2 Diag. 7-8 5 Special 200 41/2 3-2 Diag. 8-8 5 Special