FRUIT GROWING 75 



the grower, usually at harvest time or before. 

 The crop may be " bought on the trees " at a 

 stipulated price per barrel as they run, or they 

 may be bought at a stated price for each grade. 

 In some instances the owner of the orchard 

 picks the fruit and furnishes the packages, the 

 purchaser doing the packing. In other cases 

 the purchaser picks, packs, and supplies his own 

 packages. All such transactions are the result 

 of private sale. 



In a few sections the practice of selling at 

 auction obtains, the fruit being put up and sold 

 to the highest bidder. A modification of this 

 idea has been very successfully used in some 

 localities, the fruit in the orchard being adver- 

 tised for sale and sealed bids invited to be 

 opened at a given time, the crop to go to the 

 highest bidder. This plan has worked with 

 satisfaction and is better in some respects than 

 the public auction or the private sales plan. 



There is one objection to all wholesale sys- 

 tems of selling where the purchaser of the fruit 

 and not the owner of the orchard harvests the 

 crop. There is liable to be more injury to the 

 trees from careless workmen picking on the 

 "piece work plan." Their only object is to 

 harvest as many packages as possible, regard- 

 less of consequences. The fruit is apt to be 



