- 7 - 



It is likely to be used more effectively in plantings where fruit is 

 oriented along the relatively uniform plane that would exist in high 

 density hedge row plantings. These plantings would also have the 

 potential for other increases in production efficiency such as early 

 production, higher yields per acre, more efficient use of pesticide 

 chemicals, and more uniform fruit quality. 



It is true that high density hedge row plantings are a great diver- 

 gence from what we currently consider as conventional fruit production 

 practices. However, the general approach is not new. Various sections 

 of Europe have been forced into such systems, largely due to limitations 

 in available land, a number of years ago. Up until recently there has 

 been no need. In this country, to move in this direction; however the 

 economics of fruit production has changed the picture and made such 

 approaches more practical. " 



******** 



POMOLOGICAL PAEAGRAPH 



Timing the Apple Picker - A time and motion study of apple picking was 

 conducted by H. P. Gaston and J. H. Levin and reported in the quar- 

 terly Bulletin of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, Volume 

 36, August, 1953. Their studies showed that approximately 40 per cent 

 of the fruit was picked from the ground and 60 per cent fr'om ladders. 

 On the average, 73 per cent of the pickers' time was devoted to picking 

 apples. Nineteen per cent of the pickers' time was spent moving fruit 

 from tree to crate and returning to picking position. Three per cent 

 of the pickers' time was devoted to moving ladders and 5 per cent rest- 

 ing, eating apples, smoking, etc. 



- - William J. Lord 



* * * A •* * * * 



DIRECT FROM TREE TO YOU 



William J. Lord 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



"Dir-ect from tree to you" Is a new method of harvesting and mar- 

 keting apples currently being investigated by Anthony C. Cunningham, 

 Department of Agricultural Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New 

 York, and reported in the September - November, 1963 issue of Farm 

 Research. Apples are picked directly into quarter-bushel cartons and 

 the filled containers stacked on pallets or platforms so that they can 

 be handled mechanically from the orchard to the supermarket. The pal- 

 lets also serve as display racks in the stores. 



