CONVENIENT ORCHARD EADDl'RS. 



tree limbs from catching on the end of 

 the ladder. They are made of the 

 stiffest wire. The upper ends are stapled 

 to the tongue and the lower ends termin- 

 ate in hooks which fasten into staples 

 driven into the side pieces on the out- 

 side. The uppermost two rounds are 

 close together and are made to slip out. 

 Two corresponding holes in the lower 

 end of the tongue receive these rounds 

 when put in place. Pins of wire with 

 bent heads are put through the move- 

 able rounds and one of the side pieces, 

 also through the second round and 

 tongue, to hold all in place. The ton- 

 gue can be taken out when the ladder 

 is required for common use. 



No. 2 is made on the same principle, 

 but is shorter. In this the lowest round 



Pui. IISl'. 



<^]r^ SUPPLY of convenient ladders 

 // \ \ is absolutely essential to the 



/[ ) \ orchardist ; and these should 

 be provided in good time be- 

 fore the hurry of fruit season. For 

 apple and cherry picking, the ordinary 

 ladder of cedar poles with oak or hickory 

 rounds is best. At Maplehurst we use 

 various lengths, from 1 8 to 30 feet, but 

 the most generally useful are those 

 about twenty feet in length. The longer 

 ones are needed for old apple trees, but 

 need two persons to raise them, and must 

 be handled with great care, or the ends 

 will be soon broken off. Any carpenter 

 will make these ladders for about 10 

 cents a foot. For peaches, plums, and 

 dwarf pears the ordinary ladder is not 

 very suitable unless provided with a 

 tongue as shown in V\g. 1182 (i) as 

 described by Farm and Home. 



The dotted lines represent guards or 

 fenders. Their use is to prevent the 



297 



^'^^'^v.tV . -^-.^ 



