PICKING 47 



which is slung o\-er the shoulders. When baskets are 

 used the bails are provided with stout bent iron hooks, 

 something like a letter S, except that the lower curl is 

 closed about the basket handle to keep it from coming 

 off. The upper crook is made large enough to go over 

 an ordinary branch, and this allows the picker to hang 

 his basket securely within his reach, while he works 

 among the branches with both hands. Ropes or straps 

 are usually provided for letting the baskets down from 

 the trees and pulling them up again. 



Some apple growers pour the fruit from the picking 

 baskets directly upon the sorting table, packing the 

 apples immediately. Others put the fruit in piles or 

 windrows on the ground to be handled later. Still 

 others empty the fruit temporarily into barrels, which 

 are hauled to the packing shed, where the grading and 

 packing are done at convenience. Each man should 

 adopt that method which best suits his circumstances. 

 Aside from personal preference and local convenience, 

 one way is just as good as the other. 



III. STEMS ON OR OFF 



Some fruits are to be picked with stems attached, 

 others are taken without the stems. The reasons 

 which make the one method or the other desirable in 

 each case vary considerably. Cherries and plums are 

 picked with the stems for two reasons: first, the re- 

 moval of the stem allows the juice to escape, moisten- 

 ing the package, and allowing decay to begin; and, 

 second, the stems help to pack the fruit safely into the 

 basket or cup. The stems act like so much excelsior 

 or other packing material, preventing the soft fruits 



