GATHERING AND MANAGEMENT OF APPLES. 287 



this operation is being performed. Beginners and heedless 

 helpers should be taught how to pluck an apple or pear 

 when the stem separates with difficulty, so as not to break 

 off the fruit-spurs or injure the buds, which are to produce 

 the next year's crop. (See Fruit-spurs, p. 330.) There 

 is a proper place for every stem to separate from the spur. 

 A straight pull will often remove a piece of the twig several 

 inches in length. When fruit is shaken off, the apples or 

 pears often take long pieces of wood with them. Of course 

 these have to be separated from the fruit ; and it is far bet- 

 ter to take a little pains and leave the wood on the tree. 

 As the apple is about to be plucked, apply the thumb-nail 

 to the stem at the proper place for separation, and break 

 the stem across the nail. A great deal of damage is done 

 to fruit-trees every year at the time of gathering the fruit. 

 Large branches are trodden on and barked, small ones are 

 broken, and, in the violent shaking of the trees, fruit-spurs 

 are broken off. Selling fruit on the trees generally results 

 in great injury to the orchard ; for the buyer, in most cases, 

 does not care how much damage is done to the trees, as his 

 object is to gather the fruit in the most expeditious way. 

 There is generally more damage done in gathering unripe 

 fruit than in taking off that which is fully matured ; for the 

 former adheres so firmly to the spurs that some force is re- 

 quired to remove it. 



Convenient Fruit-pluckers. The illustration on the fol- 

 lowing page (Fig. 116) represents a convenient fruit-pluck- 

 er, which is useful for plucking both pears and apples. For 

 plucking valuable pears, it is almost indispensable, as it en- 

 ables one to pluck all those good pears or apples on the 

 ends of long limbs which could not be gathered except by 

 shaking the trees. A plucker of this style may be made in 

 a few minutes at a trifling expense. Bend a piece of wire 

 in the form of the figure, as shown at a. No. 11 wire is 



