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SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



an outbreak of it frequently starts where the moisture is held between the 

 fruits at their points of contact. It requires a good deal of "hustle" to 

 make a good "thinner," but boys who have that requisite will thin fully 

 as well as, and more cheaply then, men. 



Go over the trees systematically. Take off all defective fruits whether 

 they touch or not. Don't be afraid of the cost. It will be paid back 

 many times over in the better fruit and is really a small item. Peach trees 

 that will bear four or five baskets can be thinned for not over three cr 

 four cents each. The writer has had this done in his own orchard. 



Harvesting and Marketing. — To begin with, one must decide on the 

 proper degree of ripeness. This is going to vary greatly with varieties 

 and distance to market. Let the fruit get as nearly ripe as possible and 

 still stand up well in transit, for stone fruits are never so good as when 



Picking Peaches. 1 



allowed to ripen fully on the trees. Peaches ought to be picked for local 

 markets as soon as they show signs of ripening on the shady side, that is 

 when they begin to look edible. A little practice will soon teach one. 

 Plums can be somewhat soft before picking, while cherries are picked just 

 before they are fully ripe. Color and taste (of a few samples) should be 

 the guide. All the above are for local markets. The more distant the 

 market the greener the fruit must be when picked. 



Have convenient receptaclesinto which to pick. For plums and peaches 

 the ordinary round Delaware peach basket holding sixteen quarts is good. 

 A strap with a hook at each end can be thrown over the shoulders and 

 hooked into the rim of the basket so that it will hang just in front of the 

 picker, leaving both hands free to pick. Cherries are often picked in the 

 same way or may be picked directly into quart baskets if they are to be 

 sold that way. 



1 Courtesy of Department of Experimental Pomology, Pennsylvania Experiment Station. 



