PICKING, PACKING, AND MARKETING 75 
is necessary to firmly fix in their minds 
several very important points. 
These are called the pickers’ rules: 
1. That each picker shall have a certain 
space or row allotted from which he or she 
is to pick all berries of a certain stage of 
ripeness; each picker being responsible for 
this space or row. 
2. When removing the berries from the 
vines, pick them by pinching or breaking off 
the stem from one fourth to one half an inch 
above the berry. Carefully place in the box 
each berry with its hull and part of stem 
attached. 
3. Do not squash or press the fruit with 
the hands. 
4. Do not walk or sit in the plant row. 
5. Grade the berries as they are picked. 
6. Don’t talk too much, run about bed, 
or create a disturbance. 
By careful enforcement of these rules 
it is possible to pick the fruit cleanly, have 
it graded at the least expense, and obtain 
the best possible fruit without having mashed 
or soft berries. 
As the pickers gather the berries, they 
must place the same in some convenient 
