ORCHARDING. 



321 



decay develop. The life of an apple, peach 

 or pear depends very much on the care used 

 in picking- it. When fruit is shaken from 

 the tree or thrown carelessly into a hard- 

 bottomed or rough-sided basket, dumped 

 into a wagon box, or transported in sacks 

 like potatoes, as they were in former days, 

 the keeping season is shortened and the per- 

 centage of loss on stored fruit is very great. 

 Mature fruit should be handled as carefully 

 as thin-shelled eggs. The picker can soon 



may be placed across the mouth making a 

 triangular opening. A broad leather or 

 canv^as web strap is then connected to one 

 of the lower corners of the sack. An iron 

 ring is attached to the mouth to which is 

 snapped the strap. The sack is suspended 

 from the picker's shoulder by means of the 

 strap. This sort of device allows the picker 

 to use both hands. Having the sack easily 

 detachable the picker can gently empty the 

 contents into the barrel without injury to 



Fig. 2120. UKAi^iNt; at .storehouse. Note Padiied Baskets. 



train himself to handle fruit gently if he 

 takes the slightest interest in his work. 



Suitable receptacles for picking the fruit 

 are important. — There are two kinds of pick- 

 ing receptacles in common use among fruit 

 growers. One is a swing-handled basket 

 which allows of the contents being gently 

 emptied into the barrel. This is a strong 

 splint basket and should be padded or lined 

 with burlap on the inside to prevent bruising 

 the fruit. The second type of pickingf re- 

 ceptacle is a grain sack into the mouth of 

 which is fixed a hoop ; or a stout bent stick 



the fruit. Early apples and all soft fruits, 

 such as pears, plums and peaches, should be 

 picked in baskets and taken directly to the 

 packing room for sorting. 



Grading is absolutely essential. — ^The grain 

 merchant cannot afford to place ungraded 

 wheat on the market, neither can the fruit 

 grower afford to mix No. 2 with No. i apples 

 in the same package. It does not pay the 

 fruit grower to place on the market mixed 

 grades of apples. Whether he is shipping- 

 apples or strawberries, the same principle 

 applies. The price is fixed by the smallest 



