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picked green and the finest ones allowed to ripen. Green goose- 
berries are stripped from the branches quite rapidly. They may 
then be run through the fanning mill to free them from leaves and 
then packed for market. 
Currants are allowed to colour, and are picked when they are 
ripe. 
Strawberries are picked with their stalks when they have quite 
coloured. A strawberry which has a green or white tip seldom 
carries well if picked at that stage. 
Blackberries and raspberries are not necessarily ripe when they 
have coloured. They should be soft and free from acidity, when 
they shake off the bushes readily and part from the stem on which 
they grow. 
Melons sometimes puzzle the inexperienced growers. Water 
melons often sound hollow to percussion, and the stalk begins to 
wither, although this is not an infallible sign. A crackling sound 
is heard when pressing lightly ou the melon. One of the best 
symptoms, however, is the clearer colour of the rind, which at times 
shows a faint tint of yellow. Musk and rock melons, when ripen- 
ing, sometimes crack more or less up to the stem. On pulling they 
should come clean off. Some of the larger varieties do not part so 
readily from the stem, and if pulled show a large hole in the rind; 
with those it is best to cut the stem. 
For Pineapples, well ventilated crates are necessary. The 
width should be sufficient to take the pinapple crossways, the crown 
pressing on one side and the stalk on the other; soft paper or maize 
chuck being used to keep the pineapples from bruising one another. 
A erate 3ft. Gin. x 1ft. 6in. x 1ft. 6in. will hold a dozen good size 
pineapples placed in two layers. 
Of other fruits, bananas, plantains, and tomatoes are picked 
when just showing faint signs of approaching maturity, as they 
ripen during transit, and may with safety be held back until ready 
for use. 
Fruir Picking APPLIANCES. 
For the convenience of pickers, and for ensuring that fruit is 
gathered expeditiously and without bruises, a few ingenious orchard 
appliances are here illustrated. 
A long and light orchard ladder is essential when pruning tall 
trees and gathering fruit. Such a ladder can readily be made of 
some fibrous kind of timber, such as stringy bark or oregon pine. 
The peaked top enables it to be run into the top of tall trees and 
rested against a branch. 
On page 129 is illustrated a clumsy four-footed step-ladder, 
which is generally heavy and easily dislocated. An ordinary-hinged 
