MARKETING THE CROPS 241 



*' A description of the harvesting of the Rotundifolia grapes hy 

 the jarring method will be interesting to those not familiar with 

 it. Poles are attached to sheets of canvas measuring (> hy 12 

 feet and having leather handles. A man is placed at eacli end 

 of the sheets and four men with two sheets work together. The 

 wide sides of the two sheets are brought close together under 

 each vine, with the trunk of the \'ine in the middle. The vines 

 are then jarred, the berries falling into the sheets. Those not 

 caught by the sheets or that have fallen to the ground by the 

 shaking of the trellis when the fruit of the adjoining vines was 

 harvested, etc., and which are usually of the best quality, are 

 picked by hand. The writers are informed that it costs 

 approximately 15 cents a bushel to harvest the fruit on the 

 ground and 12 cents to harvest that w^hich falls on the sheets. 



"The fruit is put in boxes or barrels, and if the quantity is 

 not large the leaves, sticks, etc., which become mixed with the 

 fruit are removed by hand. If there is a considerable quantity 

 of fruit some mechanical means, such as ordinary grain fan 

 mills, are used to clean it. After cleaning, the fruit is hauled or 

 shipped to the winery. In wineries with modern equipment 

 there are blowers which thoroughly clean the fruit. These are 

 located near the end of the elevators that carry the fruit to the 

 crusher. 



"A common and very objectionable practice followed in 

 harvesting Rotundifolia grapes, especially by the jarring 

 method, is that of gathering the fruit all at once, whereas there 

 should be at least three periods of harvesting. When harvested 

 at one time the best quality of fruit ripens, falls to the ground, 

 and is lost before the harvest is commenced and the last part 

 of the crop is thrashed from the vines in a half-ripe condition 

 along with the ripe fruit. In this manner not only is the first 

 and best fruit entirely lost, but the harvested fruit is inferior 

 in quality, which necessarily results in a poor product from the 

 entire vield." 



