252 Success with Small Fruits. 



such, at so much per quart Appearance often doubles the price, or makes 

 it difficult to sell the fruit at all. Soiled, muddy berries, even though large, 

 will fetch but wretched prices ; therefore the importance of mulching. The 

 fruit may be in beautiful condition upon the vines and yet be spoiled by 

 careless picking. The work is often performed by children, or by those 

 who have had no experience, or who, from inherent shiftlessness, do 

 everything in the worst possible way. I have seen beautiful berries that 

 in their brief transit through grimy hands lost half their value. Many 

 pickers will lay hold of the soft berry itself and pinch it as they pull it off; 

 then, instead of dropping it into the basket, they will hold it in the hand 

 as they pick others, and as the hand grows fuller, will squeeze them 

 tighter, and when, at last, the half-crushed handful is dropped into the 

 basket, the berries are almost ruined for market purposes. Not for $10 

 per day would I permit such a person to pick for me, for he not only 

 takes fifty per cent, from the price of the fruit, but gives my brand a bad 

 reputation. If possible, the grower should carefully select his pickers, 

 and have them subscribe to a few plain rules, like the following : 



1. Each berry must be picked with the thumb and fore-finger nails, and not 

 held in the hand but dropped into the basket at once. 



2. No green, decayed, or muddy berries will be received. 



3. There must be no getting down upon all fours in the beds, thus crushing 

 both green and ripe fruit. 



4. There must be no " topping off" with large berries, but the fruit must be 

 equally good all through the basket. 



In the early pickings of Wilsons, when many of the berries are of good 

 size, and of all the large, choice kinds, it is best to make two grades, 

 putting the large and small by themselves, and keeping varieties separate. 

 A small frame, with short legs at the corners, and a handle, is a convenient 

 appliance to hold six or more baskets while picking. Give to each picker 

 two sets of baskets, one for the small and one for the large berries, and 

 pay equally for both, or perhaps a little more for the small or-js, so that 

 there may be no motive to thwart your purpose ; one and a half to two 

 cents per quart is the usual price. Have two styles of tickets, red and 

 blue, for instance ; the red having a higher value and being given to those 

 who bring the berries to the place of packing in good order, according to 

 rule ; let the baskets not picked in conformity to the rules be receipted for 

 with the blue tickets. Receiving many of the latter soon becomes a kind 

 of disgrace, and thus you appeal to the principle of self-respect as well 

 as self-interest. Get rid of those who persist in careless picking as soon 



