341 



Some fruit often hangs at the top of long branches and out of 

 the reach of the pickers. One common way of 

 getting them down consists in dislodging them by 

 means of a long pole. It generally happens 

 that such fruit is knocked about and bruised beyond 

 recognition. In order to reach these outlying 

 fruits, various kinds of fruit-picking devices are 

 used, two of which are here illustrated. 



This picker consists of a long pole armed at 

 the end with a V-shaped hook, which pulls the 

 fruit from the stalk ; a canvas hose 

 stretched round a hoop fastened 

 underneath the picker conveys 

 the fruit to the hand, one fruit 

 only being allowed to come down 

 the bag at a time. 



The second design is another 

 ingenious one, which any tin- 

 smith can make. It should, for 

 the sake of lightness, be made 

 of tin- wire. In that case, the fruit 

 is delivered to the picker by taking 

 down the instrument. 



V. Picker witli 

 delivery sack. 



Wire Picker. 



GrEADING. 



It may be said that the farther the 

 market, the greater the need of bestowing 

 fruits the attention it deserves. The wants 

 in a manner understood and complied with 

 commercial fruit-growing, which generally 

 distances and necessitate numerous and at 

 must be known and studied. 



orchard is away from 

 on picking and packing 

 of the local markets are 

 by most growers ; but 

 means shipping to long 

 times rough handling, 



However carefully the fruit has been picked, it is essential, in 

 order to secure top market price, to grade it. This is best done by 

 hand, as most mechanical graders advertised are only suitable for 

 sorting out potatoes or second-class hard fruit, or for grading dried 

 fruit. 



A definition of what constitutes first-class fruit will prove 

 instructive to growers. A perfect specimen is not necessarily 

 first-class fruit. First-class fruit as understood in the market 

 is a parcel of fruit of one variety, full grown, well-coloured, 

 without blemish due to insect or fungoid blight, carefully picked, 

 all of as near as possible one size, shape, degree of ripeness, 

 got up in neat and appropriate packages, showing no shrinkage, 

 and correctly labelled. Some growers sort out their fruit into 

 three or even four grades, such as " extras " or " selected," 

 " fancy," and " first-class " and " culls." In that case the term 

 second-class or No. 2 is often substituted for the term " culls." 



