36 AGRICULTURE OF MAINS. 



reduces the danger from heavy rains and wind storms that 

 frequently occur at this period of the fall season. Early picked 

 apples will keep longer than those that are more mature, and 

 again, a grower who begins operations early usually has the 

 choice of the best pickers in that neighborhood. I would not 

 underestimate the importance of having the fruit nicely colored 

 and ripened when picked, but I believe that before we can attain 

 the best results we must pick over our trees two or three times. 

 This is the method followed in the far West and is the one we 

 must adopt when some of our other methods more closely 

 resemble those practiced in these noted apple producing sections. 

 Apples should be handled carefully. The fruit spurs should 

 not be broken, likewise care should be exercised in placing lad- 

 ders so that the trees may not be injured. In my opinion apples 

 should be placed in packages as soon as taken from trees and 

 then removed to some cool, sheltered place where they may at 

 a later time be graded and packed in a more leisurely manner. 

 Nothing is gained by too great haste in handling fruit. A little 

 may be saved in expense but this will be more than overcome 

 by the lessened value of the fruit. 



Dealers are becoming more critical as to the manner in which 

 fruit is handled and the best way will be found to be the 

 cheapest. 



SORTING AND MARKETING APPLES. 



The grading of apples is very important from every point of 

 view. For many reasons it is better not to sort and pack fruit 

 until it is sold ; then the buyer may do this work and relieve the 

 owner of all responsibility in the matter. The buyer frequently 

 has a crew who have become expert in handling fruit. A sort- 

 ing table or tables should be provided. The same should be 

 about waist high, four feet wide and six or eight feet long. 

 There should be a ledge around the top of the table to hold the 

 apples and also to hang sorting baskets on. Such tables will 

 accommodate from two to four barrels of apples each and six 

 men may work comfortably at one of them. Six men sorting, 

 one facing up and a header should put up from 120 to 150 bar- 

 rels per day. Proper grading requires good judgment and con- 

 siderable experience, and the question as to whether a certain 

 apple should be put into the first or second grade is largely a 



