636 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



ity for j^ain or loss at every linii. IT a laborer insists on taking 

 four motions to an acl thai slionld be acconijjlished in three, that 

 laborer is eoslinu;- just iliii tv-lhree pvv rent, more than he should. 

 Yon wonld not stand lor sneh in increase in the interest on a loan. 

 It is no more loji'ical that yon should accept such a loss from a lab- 

 orer. A study of Ihe most effective motitms by which a given i)iece 

 of work can be done almost invariably yields returns in time saved. 

 This i»rincij)al can well be illnstiated by the method in handling 

 lomatoes. One who knows how to i)ick np a fruit with the If^ft 

 hand, Avill give it a quick rub with the right hand, while the third of 

 fourth finger of the left hand removes the stem. It is then placed 

 in the basket in less time than it lakes to tell it. An inexperienced 

 one will take U]> the fruit, *will turn it over two or three times, rub- 

 bing it in several directions, and will perha])s use the thnntb and 

 finger of the right hand to remove the stem. In this way, time is 

 lost. 



Equi])ment should be carefully arranged for convenience and com- 

 fort. If workers can be seated and do their work well, benches or 

 stools should by all means be provided. Anything that makes for the 

 contentment of the help is a good investment. 



The last few years have seen the introduction of a great many 

 mechanical devices to aid in the work of preparing for market. The 

 citrus people of California were the pioneers in this, and the visitor 

 in the west finds in an orange i>a eking house a most complicated 

 array of belts and pulleys and tanks and conveyer. Just as little as 

 possible is left for the hand to do. One of Ihe favorite devices is 

 the rope sizer. This consists of two ropes moving oVer pulleys at 

 the same rate of speed, and spreading a little further apart as the 

 fruit passes along. Separate receivers are placed under the ropes 

 at proper spacing, and each size thus drops to its place. The same 

 principle is worked out in a grader which is used for peaches in 

 Western New York with a high degree of success. With fruit that 

 is not ada])ted to mechanical sorting, much is gained by the use of 

 sorting belts. Unsorted fruits pass along a central belt, and the 

 different grades are removed by skilled bands and placed on other 

 belts, which carry them to their respective places. These are mere 

 examples, and there are dozens of others, such as the different wash- 

 ers for bunched stuff, the bean cleaners and the onion topper. Finally,, 

 under the head of efficiency, I would call your attention to the im- 

 portance of large scale marketing in making workable the many 

 economics that may be devised. Labor may be much more readily 

 secured, and the force may be much more thoroughly and efficiently 

 organized. Individual helpers are given the kind of work at which 

 they are most expert. To illustrate, in a cucumber packing house in 

 New York State, it has been found that certain girls are very quick 

 at cleaning the fruits, but do not seem to have the type of judgment 

 which makes good graders. Others, while not quite so nimble, are 

 experts at the sorting. TNliere a large amount of Avork is to be done, 

 these two processes can be carried through separately, and full ad- 

 vantage can be take of individual differences. . Large scale produc- 

 tion makes possible the use of the larger and more complex machines 

 that would otherwise be out of the question. It also involves great 

 advantage in securing favorable transportation facilities, A man or 



