76 Bush-Fruits 



are claiming their attention. For that reason they prefer 

 to pick a large part of the crop by hand and market it 

 fresh, if pickers are to be had. In that case, they find 

 the harvester a great convenience to finish up the last 

 of the crop. Every grower knows how much dissatisfac- 

 tion occurs in keeping the pickers at their work after 

 the berries begin to grow scarce. With the harvester, the 

 late berries can all be gathered at one time with much 

 satisfaction to all concerned. This plan is also available 

 for those who sell their fruit fresh. The last of the crop 

 can be gathered and dried, thus affording relief to the 

 market and to the patience of the grower and pickers. 



This method of harvesting was invented and intro- 

 duced by Jewett Benedict, of Dundee, New York, and is 

 extensively used by the berry-growers of that region. Most 

 of the harvesters in use are simple home-made affairs, 

 and various modifications have been adopted to suit the 

 tastes of individual growers. Several of these are de- 

 scribed in Farmers' Bulletin No. 213 from the Department 

 of Agriculture at Washington. There is some loss of fruit 

 in harvesting but the amount is not large. 



METHODS OF DRYING 



Drying out of Doors 



Various methods of drying are employed, the simplest 

 of which is to dry on boards in the sun as illustrated in 

 Plate III. This usually takes from three to five days. Plat- 

 forms or trays about twelve feet long and three to four feet 

 wide are made of matched boards. A narrow strip is nailed 

 around the edge of each tray to prevent the berries from 



