110 PEACH CULTURE. 



immature fruit, and the market will not be burdened with 

 it. Indeed it seems a sin against nature to pull a peach 

 when only a little over half size, green, and bitter, when 

 by leaving it on the tree a few days longer, it would in- 

 crease in size, beauty, sweetness, and wholesomeness. 



Ten days or two weeks before picking commences in 

 earnest, the planter looks up his pickers. Their number 

 will depend, of course, on the quantity of fruit ripening 

 daily. If he has ten thousand assorted trees, ripening over 

 the whole season, he will not need nearly so many as if he 

 has the same number of a few varieties, ripening together, 

 or nearly so. But suppose he has ten thousand trees. 

 If old trees A ,hey will average, with a full crop, about 

 three baskets to the tree ; an aggregate of thirty thousand 

 baskets. In a season of sixty days, this would give five 

 hundred baskets a day. A hand is allowed to pick forty 

 baskets, which would require a force of twelve hands, con- 

 stantly employed in picking. If the fruit is of two or 

 three varieties only, it will ripen in twenty days, and the 

 force required will be thirty-six hands. If the trees are 

 young, one basket to the tree will be about the average ; 

 and less than one-third the force will be required, as it is 

 easier picking from young trees than old. From these 

 data, any one can estimate how many hands he will need. 



Expert, skillful hands are as valuable in this as in any 

 other work, but in the large peach growing districts it is 

 impossible to obtain them. When the planters are bless- 

 ed with a full crop, every available man, woman, and child 

 is in requisition ; and all they can do is to secure, as far 

 as may be, trusty leaders who will have an eye to the in- 

 experienced and careless. When engaged, they are to 

 hold themselves in readiness to come on the first call. 



The fruit must be mature, but not ripe, when picked. 

 If picked too soon, it will shrink by the time it gets to 

 market ; the color will not be good ; the flavor will be 

 worse ; and a poor price will be had. If picked too late, 



