324 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



the women and girls the job of picking 

 from the lowei- branches, which they can 

 reach from the ground or from short step 

 ladders. The fruit on the upper branches 

 can be picked by another crew working 

 on taller ladders. 



The ladder should never be leaned into 

 the tree if it is possible to avoid it. Fruit 



Fig. 5. Poi-table Orchard Ladder. Folded, 

 spurs often cover the ground under such 

 conditions, and not only is the crop tor 

 the succeeding year damaged, but open- 

 ings for disease are left in the tree itself. 

 The act of picking is a very simple one. 

 A simple twisting movement up and down 

 on the fruit removes it from the spur 

 without loss of stem, and this easy re- 

 moval is usually a fair indication of the 

 maturity of the fruit. There are some 

 special varieties, notably the Ortley apple, 

 which very often, though mature, break 

 their stems and puncture the fruit, if 

 not carefully handled. The stem may be 

 broken without hurting the salability of 

 the fruit but should never puncture the 

 skin or be pulled out of its socket. 



Picking Pails 



The receptacle selected for picking 

 should prevent all bruising, as far as pos- 



sible, and should give ease in handling. 

 Theoretically, it would seem that bags or 

 canvas bottom pails would be the best 

 for picking, but, practically, such is not 

 the case. There is a bad tendency among 

 pickers to let the fruit fall into the re- 

 ceptacle and, unless this fruit can be 

 heard by the foreman as it falls, there is 

 no way to prevent consequent injury. 

 Bags allow the fruit to be damaged by 

 not protecting it against bruising when 

 coming in contact with ladder or tree. 

 When the bottomless bags are used the 

 pickers very frequently will allow the 

 fruit to shoot into the field box when 

 emptying, thus causing damage. 



A galvanized pail about ten inches high 

 and narrow enough to fit down into the 

 apple box when it is emptied, so that the 

 apples can be poured into the box very 

 carefully without bruising, is a good one 

 for this purpose. Such a pail should have 

 a hook attached to the bail for hanging 

 on the ladder or tree limb. Several so- 

 called bottomless pails have been con- 

 structed of galvanized iron, or tin, which 

 allow the fruit to be emptied into the 

 bottom of the box and the pail to be lifted 

 without rolling or bruising the fruit. 

 Some of these pails have merit, and, 

 where not too expensive, should be money- 

 savers for the grower. In the case of 

 peaches and plums and other stone fruits, 

 shallow pails or baskets should be used, 

 as these fruits bruise easily when piled 

 one upon the other to any depth. 



Fl-' 6 Portable Orchard Ladder Ready for Use. The run- 

 ning board enables the picker to cover a wider ranse 

 than would be possible with the ordinar.v step ladder. 



