18 



CIRCULAR 6 5 9, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



only by adequate supervision and the use of proper equipment. As an 

 illustration, the records obtained in some of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture's studies in the Pacific Northwest on damage 

 during picking are cited in table 2. 



In orchard A the pickers were working without special supervision. 

 In orchard B there was a picking foreman exercising close supervision 

 over the work; the very marked reduction in bad bruises and skin 

 punctures is doubtless due in some measure to this fact. However, 

 it is probable that it was due in even greater measure to the use of pick- 

 ing buckets. This is brought out strikingly in the results for orchard 

 C where there was also a picking foreman exercising as close super- 

 A'ision of the pickers using bags as of those using buckets (fig. 6). 

 The advantage of the bucket was very great in the prevention of 

 bruising and skin punctures. 



Figuee 7. — Field boxes properly filled and stacked to prevent damage to the fruit 

 and to facilitate cooling on the receiving platform of a packing house. Note that 

 the individual lots are identified by tags held to the top box by a spring clothes- 

 pin. 



