254 TEANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTURAL 



athan, must be picked about the last of September or the first of 

 ■October. The time can be determined when they begin to drop 

 badly from the tree. Ben Davis, Willow Twig, Wine Sap, etc., can 

 be left upon the trees usually until the middle to the last of Octo- 

 ber. The exact time varies so much with the season that no set 

 time can be stated, but must be left to the one in charge to deter- 

 mine. The utensils I use in the orchard are a sack, a ladder and 

 bushel boxes or crates. 



The picking sack is a common grain sack with the ends fastened 

 together with a strap, and slung over the shoulder, similar to the 

 sack used in sowing grain. The mouth of the sack is kept open by 

 a piece of barrel hoop long enough to reach about one-third around 

 the opening. With such a sack as this both hands are left free to 

 gather the fruit from the tree. The apples should be separated 

 from the branch by a slight motion of the hand to one side, so that 

 the stem may remain with the apples — the fruit keeping better with 

 than without the stem. Not more than one-half bushel of apples 

 should be placed in the sack before emptying. I have tried picking 

 with baskets and find it a very slow process from large trees. 



The ladder is not the least important item when we consider re- 

 sults, both in amount of fruit gathered and in the least amount of 

 injury done to the trees. The length of the ladder will vary, of 

 course, with the size of the trees. I have found eighteen feet to be 

 the maximum length of a ladder that can be handled with profit. 

 Mine are fourteen and sixteen feet. For the sides of the ladder I 

 select two by six-inch clear pine lumber, have it surfaced both sides 

 at the mill, and each piece of the two by six ripped diagonally into 

 two pieces, two and a half inches at one end and three and a half 

 inches at the other. One piece of two by six sawed in this way 

 makes two sides of the ladder. The rungs are one by two-inch 

 strips, let into the side pieces one-fourth of an inch, and nailed on 

 with 8d nails. The bottom of the ladder has a spread of two feet, 

 while at the top it is only ten or twelve inches wide. 



This makes a ladder heaviest at the bottom and one easily 

 handled. The ladders should be painted. The rungs, being nailed 

 on, are easily replaced. When it comes to handling fruit from 

 the orchard to the packing house or the local market nothing equals 

 the Anshel box or crate. They should be upon every farm, for 

 they are as useful in handling potatoes as apples. The ends for 

 these boxes are made from pine stock boards, surfaced one side and 

 and twelve inches wide; the ends are twelve inches by fourteen 

 inches, with a handle cut in each piece. It is the cheapest to have 

 these ends sawed into proper length at the factory, and also the holes 

 cut for the handles. The sides and bottom of the box are made of 

 common lath, cut seventeen inches in length except the upper slat 

 on the sides, which should be stronger, and is best made of pieces 

 four inches wide by one and a half inches in thickness, made from 



