CULTIVATION OF THE ORCHARD AND GARDEN. 665 



Fruit which is intended to be used in the winter should be gathered 

 before it has become mellow. Early apples for the use of the 

 grower himself and his family, should be allowed to remain un- 

 gathered until their color has deepened and they have become mel- 

 low. All fruits should be picked in anticipation of frost. Pears 

 can be gathered to good advantage before they become thoroughly 

 ripe; the best time for this is when the fruit will detach itself eas- 

 ily from its twig. Some varieties can be gathered earlier than this, 

 but it is generally better to leave them until the time mentioned, 

 while some will be useless if plucked at an earlier time. Fruit 

 gathering should be completed just as rapidly as possible. Fruit 

 should not be gathered in when it is wet, and the fruit grower 

 should be particular to see that it is dry before it is stored for the 

 winter. Hand picking is the proper way to gather fruit, as bruis- 

 ing is to be guarded against with the utmost care. As each one of 

 the various kinds of fruit is gathered it should be laid in the re- 

 ceptacle provided for it, and never dropped. Attention to this de- 

 tail, simple as it seems, will answer a good purpose, because bruises 

 which are imperceptible at the time when the fruit is gathered will 

 develop after a short time, and the value of the fruit will be deter- 

 iorated. Market apples which are large should be taken out of the 

 basket for the packing by hand. They should not be turned out or 

 rolled one upon the other. It is wise in gathering fruit to spread 

 them out and let them lie some time upon the floor before they are 

 stored away. The fruit will keep better for this care, and it will be 

 more convenient for assorting and grading properly. Apples which 

 are barreled immediately upon gathering must unavoidably contain 

 some which are not. perfect. These imperfect ones will decay much 

 more rapidly than the others, and their condition will have an un- 

 avoidably bad effect upon the perfect specimens. The fruit should 

 be taken to its store room before the weather becomes sufficiently 

 cold to injure it. The necessity of care in assorting fruit must not 

 be overlooked. The riper should not be barreled with that which is 

 less ripe, and large fruit should not be packed with that which is 

 small. There is economy in this, because the few small specimens 

 of fruit will be of but slight consequence in increasing the meas- 

 ure, and the value will be very considerably less in market. When 

 fruit is being barreled it should be " shaken up" frequently; the 

 barrel head should be made firm in its place and fastened strongly. 

 The weight thus pressed down upon the fruit is necessary, because 

 the fruit must be held securely in the barrel; otherwise, in the 

 course of transportation, it will be shaken about and bruised. The 

 fruit grower will find that the care thus expended will be more than 

 repaid in decreasing the percentage of loss by decay, and increas- 

 : nof the market value of his fruit. 



