272 STONE FRUITS 



Harvesting. — The method by which cherries are picked is 

 determined to a limited extent by the way in which they' are 

 going to be used. If they are for immediate use in the home 

 they can be picked either with or without the stems. If the 

 fruit is for long distant shipment the stems must be attached 

 to the fruit. If the stems are pulled off the juice will ooze out. 

 In some cherry-growing regions the stems are clipped with 

 small shears. 



The time of picking the fruit is determined by the distance 

 of the market and the variety of cherry. For distant ship- 

 ment the light-colored sorts should be picked as soon as they 

 begin to color, and the dark-colored varieties long before they 

 are dark and juicy. For local consumption the fruit can 

 remain on the tree until it is ripe enough to pick without 

 being too soft. The fruit should be handled carefully so that 

 the skin is not broken or injured, because this gives an 

 entrance to fungi, which will cause the fruit to rot. The 

 cherry should never be poured from one vessel to another, 

 because this bruises and injures the flesh. 



Packing. — The fruit should be packed as soon as it is 

 picked. If it is to be shipped any great distance it should 

 be precooled at once and shipped in refrigerator cars. 



The cherry is packed in several different styles of pack- 

 ages, which are characteristic of the different sections. The 

 16-quart crate is perhaps used more than any other style, 

 although in some sections the 24- and the 32-quart crates 

 are used. 



A small basket holding from 6 to 8 pounds is used in places, 

 while sweet cherries are often packed in a 10-pound flat box. 



Varieties. — There is a comparatively large list of varieties 

 of the cherry, both of the sweet and th* sour. Some varieties 

 are valued for home use while others are better suited for 

 commercial planting. The varieties of cherries have not 

 been developed for any definite geographical regions. Many 

 varieties have been described, but only a few of them are 

 profitable. 



Among the sweet cherries probably the firm fleshed >-ed 

 and black Bigarreaus are the most profitable. The light- 

 colored Bigarreaus and the Hearts are more susceptible to 



