IN THE CITRUS INDUSTRY 35 



But lemons are picked off the same tree every month 

 in the year, and at any time it should be possible to find 

 on a thrifty tree blossoms, small lemons and mature 

 fruit. With lemons, the aim is to secure as large a per- 

 centage as possible of summer fruit which commands the 

 best prices. This is the chief reason why central CaUfornia 

 is not likely to become a great lemon producing area, for, 

 just as with oranges, the lemons there ripen chiefly in the 

 winter months. On the other hand, June sees the heaviest 

 shipments from southern California. 



In the case of oranges, ordinarily two or three pickings 

 are made from the same tree, the two methods practiced 

 being "picking to size" and picking in zones. The first 

 phrase means that the larger and more mature fruit is 

 picked first, thus giving the smaller a better chance to de- 

 velop. The second term describes that method in which all 

 the fruit in a specified zone around each tree is picked at 

 one time. It is a common practice to pick the fruit that 

 hangs near the ground or at the extremities of "limbs as 

 early as possible in order to protect it from certain fungous 

 diseases and from injury by the wind or tillage implements, 

 also to prevent breakage of limbs as the fruit increases in 

 weight. With lemons, size is the sole object, and they are 

 picked, whether yellow or not, if they will not pass through 

 a ring of a certain diameter. In fact, it is highly desirable 

 to pick lemons while green in color and allow them to color 

 during the curing process at the packing house. 



More and more the picking itself is done by a gang of 

 skilled pickers under the direction of the packing house. 

 In this work the Japanese and Mexicans take a very promi- 

 nent part. The fruit is severed from the branch by means 

 of specially adapted shears or clippers, and the utmost pre- 

 caution must be exercised not to break the skin with clipper 

 or with finger nail. Neither must long stems be left on 



