E.ASPBEKEIES AND BlACKBEREIES. 197 



The leaves are quickly taken out by running the fruit through a fanning 

 mill after it is dried. Some growers fan them out before drying, but 

 this has the disadvantage of bruising and crushing more berries The 

 berries are usually allowed to stand in the field in boxes for a time after 

 gathering and any insects which may have fallen in will usually crawl 

 out and disappear. 



Growers who have had much experience say that a man will average 

 eight to ten bushels a day with the harvester, although much more can 

 be gathered in the best picking. One one farm visited last year, two 

 men and two girls had gathered thirty-one bushels the day previous in 

 ordinary picking, and one of the men had been in the field only part of 

 the time. This shows the first cost of gathering to be less than half a cent 

 per quart. Running them through the fanning mill costs but a trifle ; 

 then before marketing they are picked over by hand to remove stems, 

 green berries and other litter. This does not cost over one cent a 

 pound and is sometimes paid for by the pound at that rate, so that the 

 whole cost may be placed at one cent a quart as against two cents 

 usually paid for hand picking. Growers who have had experience with 

 both methods seem to be united in the opinion that harvesting yields a 

 better quality of dried fruit than hand picking, for the reason that, 

 if picked by hand, they cannot afford to look them over again after 

 drying, and so they do not go to market in as clean and nice condition 

 as those which come from the harvester. 



Some extensive and general fruit growers find it inconvenient to 

 attend to the matter of looking over the dried product at the same 

 time that other fruits, which follow on after the raspberries, are claim- 

 ing their attention, and for that reason prefer to pick a large part of 

 the crop by hand and market it fresh if they can get pickers con- 

 veniently. In that case, they find the harvester a great convenience to 

 finish up the last of the crop. Every grower knows how much dis- 

 satisfaction and unpleasantness arise in keeping the pickers at their 

 work after the berries begin to get thin. With the harvester, the late 

 berries can all be finished up at one time with a great deal of satisfac- 

 tion to all concerned. This plan is equally available for those who sell 

 their fruit fresh. The last of the crop can be gathered and dried, thus 

 proving a relief to the market and the patience of the grower and the 

 pickers. This plan of harvesting was invented and introduced by Mr. 

 Benedict, of Dundee, N. Y., and is extensively used by the berry 

 growers of that region. 



Drying out of doors. — Various methods of drying are employed, the 

 simplest- of which is to dry on boards in the sun. This usually takes 



