178 FARM APPLIANCES. 



lent picker, as shown in figure 210, can be made from 

 stiff wire by a tinner. The span across the top should 

 be about six inches, and the depth from eight to ten 

 inches. The wires should not be more than a half-inch 

 apart at their tips. The wires being more or less flexible, 

 the apple is apt to draw through them, if they are not 

 close together. Care should also be taken to have the im- 

 plement made as light as possible. A bungling mechanic 

 will probably use too much solder. Another good picker 

 is pictured in figure 209. It is light, durable and pleasant 

 to handle. When, however, an apple, being very short 

 stemmed, liqs close to a limb, it is much more easily 

 removed by the former device than by this. A simple, 

 flattened hook, with a thin, almost cutting edge, secured 

 on the end of a pole, figure 211, is often handy for pulling 

 off stray apples. This is the best implement for thinning 

 apples. 



FRUIT LADDERS. 



The construction is easily understood from tne engrav- 

 ing. The method of using deep fruit baskets with a hook 

 attached is also shown in figure 112. The use of a com- 

 mon grain bag as a receptacle for picking fruit has some 

 important advantages. One side of the mouth of the bag is 

 tied to the corresponding corner at the bottom, first put- 

 ting an apple in the corner to hold the string from slip- 

 ping off. The bag is then hung over the shoulder with 

 the mouth in front. The picker has both hands free and 

 can empty the bag by lowering it into the barrel, without 

 bruising the fruit. 



Another form is shown in figure 213. To make it, 

 select a chestnut pole, eighteen feet long, or of the desired 

 length. At about four feet from the top, or smaller end 

 of the pole, nail on a band of hoop iron, to prevent split- 



