THINNING, GATHERING, KEEPING, MARKETING. 123 



those which are prematurely injured by insects or fungi. It 

 is a good rule, in peach growing, not to allow any two peaches 

 to stand within four inches of each other. The thinning is 

 done when the fruit is the size of the end of one's thumb. It 

 is better to burn the picked fruits, for one should exercise care 

 to take off those fruits which are imperfect or diseased. 



Apples and pears, when half grown, will show any defects 

 or injuries from insects. In thinning the fruit these defective 

 specimens should, in all cases, be removed. As many bushels 

 of good fruit will be obtained from the trees in autumn as 

 there would have been of good and bad mixed together, had 

 all been left to grow. The labor of assorting will be lessened, 

 and the fruit bring a higher price in market. An experienced 

 orchardist says that one day's work to fifty barrels of apples 

 will thus take out nearly all the imperfect fruit ; while the in- 

 creased labor of hand-picking so many poor specimens will 

 be as great as taking them off in summer, when less care will 

 be required with them. 



Gathering. 



Mankind consists of two grand divisions — the careless and 

 careful. Each individual may be assigned his place under 

 these two great heads by observing how he picks or gathers 

 fruit. The careless shake the crop down on the ground, or, if 

 picked by hand, throw the specimens into the basket, rather 

 than carry and deposit them carefully. Such persons wonder 

 why they have such poor luck in keeping fruit — it nearly all 

 rots prematurely. 



The following is the right way : Gather by means of hooked 

 baskets suspended in the tree ; the apples, as gathered, should 

 be laid one at a time in the bottom of the basket, and when 

 filled the basket is taken down and the fruits are taken out two 

 by two. To prevent the possibility of bruising, these should 

 be drawn to the fruit-house on a spring wagon, and two 

 apples only should be taken out at a time, till all are care- 

 fully deposited on the floor. After being barrelled, they 

 can be stored till wanted or carried to the cars or steamboat, 

 and carried, not rolled on board. If they are shipped to 

 England, one barrel must be hoisted at a time and caught on 

 a man's shoulder on the ship, and carried by two men and 



