FRUIT HARVESTING OPERATIONS 11 
of the basket. This facilitates the emptying of apples 
into a barrel. Baskets having the wide splints and a 
smooth interior are the best. (Fig.5c.) Those having a 
woven (Fig. 5 6.) splint work are not recommended be- 
cause of the many sharp corners on the inside. It is 
usually not practical to line 
such baskets with burlap, be- 
cause the small particles of 
bark, grit and dirt will stick 
into the burlap, and the sharp 
corners break or puncture the 
skin. A very small puncture 
will often cause decay as 
quickly as a large bruise. 
Picking Bags.— Various 
kinds of picking bags are also 
in use. These, for the most 
part, are not to be recom- _ FRONT sac 
mended, especially those that a pee eaten 
are all constructed of cloth or Sie we-ciad aeeiat 
canvas. Some of the picking 
bags have a wooden piece around the top which will help 
protect the fruit. These are better than the other kind. 
The great objection to a picking bag is that in climbing 
over a ladder or through a tree, the fruit is often 
bruised through the bag. Small particles also collect on 
the inside of the bag the same as they do on the burlap- 
lined basket, and the sharp corners of the very fine 
particles tend to puncture the skin of the fruit. 
In some places, tin pails or wooden pails (Fig. 5 a.) 
are used. These are very satisfactory if rightly handled. 
A tin pail, as long as it is new and flexible, is a good pick- 
