218 STATE BOARD OF HOETICULTUEE. 



firmer and keeps better. Fruit dealers mark the best fruit 

 "M," meaning "Mountain." Here is a sample quotation, 

 which indicates the difference in price of the different grades: 

 "Mountain," 25 to 50 lire per 1,000; " Hilly," 21 to 27 lire per 

 1,000; "Plains," 17 lire per 1,000. I may, in this connection, 

 here repeat that the ideal situation for a lemon grove is in 

 "deep loamj^ clay land, well drained, open, and exposed to the 

 rays of the sun all the year, trees planted in rows running 

 north and south, sheltered from strong winds and frosts, 

 water always available." 



How Lemons are Handled. — I was fortunate in being in 

 Sicily during the gathering of the main crop, and therefore 

 saw the lemons at their best. I knew care was taken in 

 handling the fruit, but I was hardly prepared to find how 

 much. In connection with many cultural operations the use 

 of such implements as the Planet cultivators, in the hands of 

 intelligent Australian workmen, and drawn by our horses, 

 will more than compeusate for the cheap labor of the Mediter- 

 ranean; but when it comes to handling fruit, the cost of labor 

 is simply prohibitive of the same care and attention. The 

 wages paid are, for men Is. 3d. to Is. lOd. a day, for women 3d. 

 to 6d. The Sicilian handles lemons as gently as eggs, from 

 custom, and he does it quickly. But let me describe what I 

 saw of the picking and handling of lemons for export. I 

 could not follow the one parcel of fruit; but as I saw each 

 operation repeated, I think my description is in every general 

 particular correct. 



Picking. — The picking is done by men, women, and girls. 

 The pickers have small wicker baskets, holding from one and 

 a half to two gallons, and lined with soft canvas like bran 

 bagging, in the form of a bag hardly resting on the bottom. 

 They pick the lemons with the fingers, breaking off from one 

 to three inches of the twig with the lemon. In going over the 

 trees they take — (1st) All lemons, no matter how green, which 

 are three inches in diameter, and three and one half ounces in 

 weight or over. The pickers learn to judge the size and weight 

 with wonderful accuracy, using the thumb and finger as a 

 gauge. (2d) All lemons which are turning yellow, whether 

 they reach the standard or not. 



