THE LABOR PROBLEM OF HARVESTING A LARGE 

 APPLE AND PEAR CROP 



By A. H. Carson, Commissioner for Third District. 



It is poor business method on the part of the apple and pear growers 

 to grow large crops of apples and pears in the Rogue and Umpqua 

 Valleys without seriouslv considering the labor problem, 



To harvest the crop in its proper season, 'quickly, with the least cost to 

 the growers, is one of the problems that must be considered, and the best 

 methods as to the details worked out to pick and pack the crop at a 

 minimum cost to avoid loss. At present the acreage in apples and pears 

 in the third district that are in bearing is only about twenty per cent of 

 the acreage that is planted. To harvest the present crop taxes the 

 available labor that is to be had in the district. There are at present in 

 Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties 1,650,000 apple and pear trees 

 in the old and newlv planted orchards. Annually the new orchards are 

 increasing the number of trees by 600,000 to 800,000. Had the present 

 acreage been in bearing this year, and averaged five boxes to the tree, 

 there would have been 8,250,000 boxes of apples and pears, or 13,583 car- 

 loads. With the present population of the third district, if we had to 

 pick, pack and ship 13,583 cars of apples and pears, where could the 

 labor be drawn from to save the crop without loss at a minimum cost? 



In gathering pears the time to handle the different commercial vari- 

 eties is limited. The reasons varv. Some years pears ripen slowly. To 

 meet the various conditions of ripening and o-ather the crop with economy 

 requires the necessary number of laborers in the country for the growers 

 to draw their help from at harvest time. 



The same conditions as to labor prevail at apple-picking time. When 

 Newtowns, Spitzs, and other commercial varieties are ready to pick, they 

 should be gathered promptly and stored in the packing house. The 

 grower takes a risk to let his apples remain on the trees after they are 

 ready to gather. Should the grower let his apples hang when ready to 

 gather, he is liable to loss from the fall rains that alv/ays bring with them 

 more or less wind that shakes off many choice apples. The loss from 

 wind is alwavs to be considered, and onlv ample labor to gather and störe 

 quickly can reduce this loss to a minimum. 



In Jackson County there are several orchards that contain four 

 hundred acres, or more, under one m.anagement. When these large 

 orchards come into bearinff. and Droduce maximum crops, the picking, 

 packing and shipping to market will call for the best business methods to 

 handle with economy and without loss. 



If labor is ever so plentv. the handling of a large force of apple 

 pickers in one of these large orchards requires thorough Organization to 

 work at the best advantage to secure the best and most work at the 

 least cost. The averasre aople and pear picker has only his daily or 

 hourly wage in view, and unless supervised by a competent foreman much 

 fruit mav be injured in gathering by careless handling in picking that 

 might make it unfit for long-distance shipping, causing a loss to the 

 grower. 



The question of labor is in mv opinion of such vital importance that I 

 would suggest the fruit-growers all over the State, in their horticultural 



