Evaporated Easpberries. 



555 



come into use.* This is a canvas traj, made by stretching the 

 cloth over a light wooden frame about three feet wide and four or 



124.— Batting the berries. 



five feet long. At the bottom, the frame projects upwards at right 

 angles to the body of the frame to a distance of five or six inches, 

 to catch the berries as they fall upon the canvas. A wooden 

 shoe or runner is placed on the bottom of the apparatus to 

 allow the operator to slide it along from bush to bush, as 

 shown in Fig. 124. A long wire hook (Fig. 125) is used to 

 pull the bushes over the tray or to lift up the fallen canes, 

 whilst with the other hand the operator deftly cuffs off the 

 berries with a paddle of wood or of wire covered with canvas 

 and about the size of a butter ladle. 



The harvester is used only for the gathering of berries 

 which are to be evaporated. The berries are allowed to 

 become full}^ I'ips, so that they fall easily, and the patch is 

 gone over about three times. Much litter falls with the 

 berries, but this is readily removed by running the dried 

 fruit through a fanning mill. There are few 

 growers who use this harvester exclusively. It 

 is often brought into requisition for the last 

 125.— Batter 'shook, picking, and it also has a most stimulating 

 effect upon a lot of disaffected berry pickers. The device was first 



*Fully described in our Bulletin 57, 1893. 



