Picking the Fruit 



255 



erally discarded as impracticable in commercial opera- 

 tions. 



Unfortunately, good pickers are not always to be had, 

 and here the grower with the large orchard is at a disad- 

 vantage. With a force of pickers 

 of any size it will pay the grower 

 to spend his time overseeing the 

 work. More often, however, he 

 considers the packing house a point 

 of more vital importance to him 

 and hires a competent man to look 

 after the pickers. With tree-fruits 

 it is better to pay the pickers by 

 the day or hour in preference to 

 paying so much per box. The man 

 who is mean enough to take advan- 

 tage of his employer under this 

 system would injure him more if 

 allowed to pick by the box. If one 

 is paying a picker by the day, he 

 can insist upon careful work being 

 done. 



Several forms of picking recep- 

 tacles are used. Some persons pre- 

 fer a rather broad three-gallon tin 

 pail; some use half-bushel baskets; 

 and others use a special picking 

 bag. The bucket is very good for picking soft fruit that is 

 easily bruised, if the picker is careful in transferring the 

 fruit to boxes for carrying it to the packing house. Too 

 often, however, the picker is tempted to pour the fruit. 



FIG. 67. A Good Type 

 of Ladder. 



