242 ANNUAL REPORT 



best plan to get rid of them ; and if it was gone into universally 

 the apple worm could be greatly diminished. It is this ; pick up 

 and destroy all windfalls as soon as they fall, and what is much 

 better, keep hogs in the orchard and let them eat them as soon as 

 they fall. Some recommend bandaging the trunks of the trees 

 with old sacks, and remove them once in two weeks and kill the 

 worms. Hogs in an orchard is much the best way to destroy them. 

 Picking and marketing early apples, such as the Tetofski, Duchess 

 and such varieties, it is the desire of all fruit growers to get the 

 highest market price for their truit. To do this their fruit must 

 be got to market in the best condition, which requires skill and 

 judgment. The trees should not be stripped of all their fruit at 

 the first picking, but gone over about three times at different times. 

 At the first picking take the ripest, largest and highest colored 

 fruit. Place it in bushel baskets in courses, with the stem ends up 

 and the baskets rounding a little when full, the fruit averaging the 

 same all through. Make them as attractive as possible, not to de- 

 ceive. Carry them to market on a spring wagon. Cover with 

 blankets, or something of that nature when on the road, to keep 

 the sun and dust from them. Conduct the second picking the 

 same way. 



The last picking will be culls, but show tbem up to the best 

 advantage and get what they are worth. Although they cost 

 nothing, as more was realized from the two first pickings than the 

 whole of the apples would have brought if they had all been picked 

 and sold together. 



If those same varieties are to be sent to market by railroad some 

 distance away, it is better to pack in barrels in the same order with 

 a little clean chaff in the bottom of each barrel and over each 

 course of apples as they are placed in the barrels. This will keep 

 them from bruising while going through the rough handling that 

 goods of all kinds get from railroad employees. 



Winter apples, especially such as the Wealthy, should be care- 

 fully picked when ripe and perfectly dry, packed in barrels, 

 bushel baskets are better. In either case a little clean, dry, wheat 

 chaff should be placed in the bottom and between each layer of ap- 

 ples, and placed in a dry, air}^ cool place until it begins to freeze, 

 and then they should be removed to a dry, cool cellar. In this 

 way the Wealthy apple can be kept till May in good condition. 



