396 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



being hinged, with a movable front, which is held in place 

 by a spring worked by the thumb, while the handle is held 

 in the fingers. The teeth are shoved into the vines, the 

 front is sprung to them, which pulls the berries into the 

 scoop as it is withdrawn from the vines. This machine does 

 not break off as many vines as the larger wooden scoop, and 

 thus leaves the fruit in a cleaner condition. 



In using these tools the pickers carry along a six or 

 twelve quart measure, into which they empty the contents 

 of the machine. Those using the larger scoop have bushel 

 boxes, which, when filled, are taken to the storage or pack- 

 ing houses. After picking, the fruit is run through win- 

 nowing or separating machines. These have a blower or 

 fan to remove the light dirt, with either a tightly drawn 

 belt upon which the sound fruit bounds, or a set of little 

 inclined shelves over which it falls, the good fruit going 

 to one receptacle and the defective to others. The pat- 

 terns now in general use are the "Economist" and the 

 "Middlesex." 



After passing through these machines most fruit will have 

 to be examined by the practised eye and nimble fingers of 

 women, known as screeners. For this purpose the fruit is 

 placed in long screens or racks, from which the remaining 

 defective berries are picked by hand. These screens have 

 slatted bottoms, through which the very small berries drop ; 

 they are about four and one-half feet wide at the upper end, 

 tapering to one foot, and about eight feet long, with sides 

 six inches hio-h. The wide end is raised three or four inches 

 above the narrow end, which is placed over the barrel or 

 package in which they are to be shipped. About this screen 

 three or four women stand, removing the defective berries. 

 Unless the fruit is very badly decayed, this number, with a 

 man to move the fruit, will usually pack from 15 to 30 

 barrels per day. 



The bulk of the crop is marketed in barrels holding 100 

 quarts, which are manufactured expressly for this fruit, and 

 cost about 35 cents each. Some of the markets call for a 

 package holding only a bushel, for which a slat box is manu- 



