396 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 



in New York state.* This is a canvas tray, made 

 by stretching the cloth over a light wooden frame 

 about three feet wide and four or five feet long. 

 At the bottom, the frame projects upwards at right 

 angles to the body of the frame to a dis- 

 jjja tance of five or six inches, to catch the ber- 

 (gj ries as they fall upon the canvas. A wooden 

 IP shoe or runner is placed on the bottom of the 

 apparatus, to allow the operator to slide it 

 along from bush to bush, as shown in Fig. 85. 

 A long wire hook (Fig. 86) is used to pull 

 the bushes over the tray or to lift up the 

 fallen canes, whilst with the other hand the 

 operator deftly cuffs off the berries with a 

 paddle of wood or of wire covered with can- 

 vas and about the size of a butter ladle. 



The harvester is used only for the gath- 

 ering of berries which are to be evaporated. 

 The berries are allowed to become fully ripe, 

 so that they fall easily, and the 

 patch is gone over about three 

 times. Much litter falls with the 

 berries, but this is readily re- 



moved by running the dried fruit through a fanning 

 mill. There are few growers who use this harvester 

 exclusively. It is often brought into requisition for 

 the last picking, or in seasons of low prices, and it 

 also has a most stimulating effect upon a lot of dis- 

 affected berry pickers. The device was first perfected 

 by Mr. Benedict, of Dundee, New York, although 



* Bulletin 100, Cornell Exp. Sta. 



