two quarts of the material were ap- 

 plied per tree. An average of 2.3 

 apples dropped per day on the 

 treated trees for the 10-day period 

 following the application. Where 

 naphthalene acetic acid was applied 

 as a spray at the rate of 10 gallons 

 per tree, an average of 4.2 apples 

 dropped per day, and where no ma- 

 terials were applied, 14.8 fruits 

 dropped per day. The fruit on the 

 check trees was dropping at the rate 

 of 34 on the ninth day compared to 

 two on the trees treated with the 

 concentrate. 



Russell Eggert 



A New Sprayer and Attachments 

 Give Exceptionally Rapid and 

 Thorough Coverage. An Arlington 

 sprayer equipped with a 35-gallon 

 a minute pump, Wisconsin air- 

 cooled engine, and Hardie Sprayrite 

 boom has been slightly altered and. 

 as set up now, gives exceptionally 

 good coverage on large, medium, or 

 small trees. It can be operated by 

 two or three men as desired. A re- 

 duction in number of nozzles on the 

 boom permits attachments of a long- 

 handled four-nozzle broom which is 

 operated from the barrel on top of 

 the tank. This broom carries 11/64- 

 inch holes in all discs; it will spray 

 against considerable cross-wind and 

 is used to cover the tops and centers 

 of medium to large trees. Either 

 boom or broom may be shut off as 

 desired. 



Russell Eggert 



Apple Picking Platform Has Pos- 

 sibilities. Apple growers recently 

 have become interested in devices 

 which are better than a ladder to 

 aid apple pickers in harvesting the 

 fruit. Many suggested devices are 

 expensive and complicated, but not 

 sound economically. Under the best 

 of conditions a picker can harvest 

 only a limited number of boxes of 

 apples in a day. Therefore it would 

 be more economical to hire more 

 pickers than to tie up expensive 

 equipment or to make large invest- 

 ments. 



With this in mind, a horse rake 

 was used as the basis for construct- 

 ing a simple, inexpensive piece of 

 equipment light enough to be moved 

 about the orchard by hand. The ac- 

 companying photograph shows this 

 picking aid which was used with 

 considerable success during the last 

 harvest season and which could well 

 provide the basis for an improved 

 piece of equipment. 



The first year's experience indi- 

 cates that this picking aid should 

 be mounted on large-diameter, light- 

 weight wheels to make it mobile; 

 that the wheels should be far apart 

 to give it stability; that the plat- 

 form on which the pickers stand 

 should be partly balanced on the 

 axle so the equipment can be easily 

 moved; and that the base sills of 

 the platform should extend out under 

 the tree, spreading as wide or wider 

 than the wheels. As the equipment 

 is very light in weight, it should be 



Fig. 8 — An inexpensive apple-picking 

 platform made on an old dump hay rake. 



ti& 



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