General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

2

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Wood, metal, rubber and canvas.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

275.0 cm

Width

111.5 cm

Height

91.5 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Agriculture

Category

Crop processing

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

Period

Early to mid-1900’s

Canada

Used by Canadian orchardist Indell Waddell on Covey Hill in Quebec's Eastern townships.

Function

To grade and sort apples by size before packing them into containers.

Technical

This device is an early example of the steps taken towards the mechanization and speeding of the fruit sorting process. The first step in sorting apples is to remove the fruit that does not meet grade standards from the lot that you want to have sized and packed for sale. Freshly picked apples were dumped onto a sorting table (.002) to facilitate the removal of debris such as loose stems, leaves and substandard produce. Once the culls and refuse were removed, the contents of the sorting table were dumped onto a conveyor belt. As the apples rolled along the conveyor belt, they moved passed a series of sizing bars that were designed to expel apples, according to their sizes, into distinct packing bins. As they went down the line, apples were expelled systematically from largest to smallest. A canvas hood was draped over the belt to prevent apples from falling off the conveyor belt. When expelled by the sizing bars, the apples collected in wire-meshed packing bins. Once full, the contents of the bins were emptied into boxes. To facilitate storage, the sorting table was removable and the packing table/bins folded down. Another convenient feature was that the height of the sizing bars was adjustable; allowing a producer to sort fruit of varying sizes.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

“THE GIFFORD/ SIZER/ MIDDLEPORT N.Y./PATD, JULY 15-19” stencilled in black on canvas hood.

Missing

Support/stand for packing table. Two spring-loaded stop-blocks for sorting bins. Power source and drive belt.

Finish

Unfinished wood. Natural canvas.

Decoration

None.