240 



PICKING AND HANDLING FRUIT 



by feeling of a peach whether it is ready to pick or not. This 

 is absolutely unnecessary and very detrimental to the fruit. It 

 may be necessary at the start to test a few specimens in this 

 way in order to get at the relation between appearance and 

 maturity, but that is all. The man who cannot pick peaches 

 without pinching and punching them in this way had better 

 be put to picking potatoes, which will stand that sort of treat- 

 ment. Moreover, it is an unnecessary waste of time. The picker 

 who stops to feel of every peach he picks will not pick many. 

 Another point worth mentioning is the fact that cling-stones 



Fig. IIG. — Peaches picked into oak picking baskets, to bo packed out into other baskets 

 for market. 



and semi-cling-stone varieties may be allowed to stay on the tree 

 much longer than those which are perfectly free. The real 

 cling is not much in evidence these days, but the semi-cling is 

 fairly common. Peaches are, of course, always separated from 

 the very short stem, and this ought to be done by as straight 

 a pull as possible, as this bruises the edge of the cavity less 

 than if they are pried loose. 



Cherries. — There is no great art about picking cherries ex- 

 cept to be sure to get the stems. In fact, the fruit itself should 

 not be touched any more than can be helped. Do the work with 

 the stems alone. They should be allowed to get as ripe as possi- 



