384 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 



orchard the fruit was picked before it had ripened, 

 and all that was fit was taken off as soon as the 

 trees dried off after a shower ; in the other or- 

 chard it was left till nearly ripe, and one -half to 

 two -thirds of the crop was lost before the fruit 

 could be picked. So rapid is the work of this 

 fungus at this period, that the owner of the orchard 

 told me that he lost three tons of -one variety in 

 one night. It might be added that the orchard first 

 mentioned was a much stronger one, as it was in 

 cultivation, while the last had been in sod for years, 

 and the general debility and neglect of the trees 

 made them good subjects for the attacks of rot or 

 any other disease."* 



How to pick. In picking the soft fruits, like cher- 

 ries and plums, the operator grasps the stem and 

 not the fruit itself. In this way he does not remove 

 the delicate bloom, and does not injure the fruit 

 when pulling it from the spur. In the case of 

 grapes, it is likewise very important, especially in 

 those which have a heavy bloom, that the picker 

 should not grasp the bunch itself, but should take 

 the cluster by the stem and snip it off with shears 

 (which are made for the purpose). In the case of 

 peaches and apricots, this precaution, of course, need 

 not be taken, because the stem does not naturally 

 adhere to the fruit ; but the operator must be very 

 careful, when picking these fruits, not to grasp them 

 too tightly, otherwise he will bruise them and cause 



*G. H. Powell, Bull. 98, Cornell Exp. Sta. 410. 



