PICKING 293 



plums are allowed to produce heavily as it is not desirable 

 to grow them too large in size. Peaches should be thinned 

 to a distance of three to six inches. The large-sized 

 varieties of pears should be thinned about the same as 

 for apples. Small fruits are not usually thinned. 



The earlier in the season the fruit is thinned the better. 

 With most of the tree fruits, thinning should begin imme- 

 diately after the " June drop." Thinning may be done 

 in August if there is danger of breaking the limbs by over- 

 production, but the other benefits will not be so pronounced 

 as if the work had been done earlier in ,the season. 



Fruit is usually thinned by hand, although small shears 

 made especially for the purpose are sometimes used. Care 

 should be taken not to injure the fruit spurs in the opera- 

 tion. When fruit is thinned by hand, the spur is grasped 

 firmly in one hand while the fruit is removed with the 

 other by bending it and twisting backward. The cost of 

 thinning is not great, as the actual time consumed in thin- 

 ning is saved at the harvest time in picking and in sorting 

 the crop. In the Northwest where this practice is very 

 common, it is estimated that thinning costs one and a 

 half to two cents per bushel of harvested fruit. 



Picking. -- The quality and grade of fruit depend much 

 upon the time and method of picking it. The proper 

 time to pick fruit varies with the kind and the variety. 

 No definite rules can be given, as much depends upon the 

 distance the fruit must be shipped, the climate, season, 

 and other local conditions. When fruit is to be shipped 

 long distances, it must be picked earlier than fruit intended 

 for the local market. All fruits except the pear reach their 

 highest quality when they are allowed to ripen on the trees. 



Apples are generally picked when they are well colored 



