Handling Fruit in the Field 381 



stand shipment. It is ordinarily best to pick the perish- 

 able fruits early in the morning, if they are dry, and then 

 to pack them up tight and send them directly to the rail- 

 way station; or, if they have become too warm, or if it 

 is desired to delay the shipment, they should be put 

 in the cellar or a cold storage to reduce them to a low tem- 

 perature. If the soft fruits, as strawberries and raspberries, 

 are treated in this way, they will ordinarily endure ship- 

 ment best if they are sent in tight, unventilated crates. 



Apples ripen very rapidly in the pile if they are exposed 

 directly to the rays of the sun. It is always well, therefore, 

 if they are piled in the field, to 

 place them on the shady side of 

 the tree, if possible; but, no 

 doubt, the very best results in 

 long-keeping qualities are secured 

 when the apples are taken directly 

 from the trees to a cool room and 

 there kept in storage, where the 

 ripening process is wholly or parti- 

 ally checked. This is especially 



important if they are to be shipped long distances, and 

 particularly if they are to be exported. If the weather is 

 cool and somewhat dull at the picking time, this precau- 

 tion is not so essential as in autumns that are dry, bright 

 and warm. 



Keeping records with the pickers. 



There are various ways of keeping accounts with 

 berry-pickers. Perhaps the commonest way in large 

 patches is to use a simple ticket, like Fig. 146, given to 

 the picker ha exchange for the berries delivered. There 

 are tickets of various' denominations, the figures repre- 



6 



