129 



The baskets should first be oiled, thus making them more 

 durable; they should then be padded with canvas or burlap. 

 Picking receptacles that open from the bottom are not entirely 

 satisfactory at present, and picking bags tend to bruise the 

 apples more or less. Heavy wire bent in the form of the letter 

 S, with the upper part large enough to put over limbs and 

 the lower part to fit the handle of the basket, are very useful. 

 This will enable the pickers to use both hands. It is quite 

 essential that practically all the picking be done by hand, as, 

 up to the present time, the patent pickers have not been so 

 perfected as not to bruise the fruit, or else they are deficient 

 in other ways. Patent pickers may be used for stray, scattered 

 a,pples. 



The question of field receptacles for the apples now arises. 

 The field receptacles to be used will depend upon what is 

 available or easily obtainable, upon whether the apples are to 

 be sold shortly after being harvested or are to be stored, and 

 upon what sort of a container they are to be sold in. 



There are several different types of field receptacles in use 

 in the State. They vary according to the section of the 

 State. The growers in eastern Massachusetts have been 

 marketing their apples almost ehtirely in the so-called Boston 

 produce box which contains 1^ bushels. They have also used 

 this box as a field and storage container. These growers are 

 now adopting a smaller box which will hold a United States 

 standard bushel by cubical contents within the tolerances of 

 the law. 



This package stores well when empty, can be used over and 

 over again, stacks well in storage and on trucks, and when full 

 is not too heavy to handle easily. Excellent ventilation for 

 the apples while in storage is provided by the use of risers 

 upon the ends of the boxes. Growers in the central and 

 western parts of the State are rapidly adopting this package 

 as a field and storage receptacle. 



Orange, grape-fruit and cracker boxes are used by several 

 of the large, progessive growers. These ordinarily can be ob- 

 tained at little cost and furnish excellent ventilation. Second- 

 hand barrels are used extensively in the western part of the 

 State for field and storage receptacles. 



