COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN WENATCHEE VALLEY, WASH. 27 



BOX MAKING. 



The boxes are usually made by the orchardist and members of his 

 family if the number necessary for the crop is not too large. Where 

 boxes are made by contract there is a charge of $0.0075 to $0.01 per 

 box. 



PICKING. 



Picking is usually begun on the Jonathans about the 1st of Septem- 

 ber and ends with the Winesaps along in November. Picking is 

 done by hand into buckets of various kinds. The galvanized one- 

 half bushel bucket is most common, although some use a galvanized- 

 iron bucket with a canvas bottom which may be opened to allow the 





^sfiEc^^SJs-i " 



Fig. 5.— Picking Grimes Golden apples. Showing one type of ladder used for picking in the valley. 



fruit to pass into a picking box without injury. The pickers ordi- 

 narily work from orchard ladders and stepladders varying in length 

 from 8 to 10 feet, (See fig. 5.) On account of the size of the trees, 

 it is seldom necessary to use a ladder over 14 feet in length. Some 

 varieties are picked two or three times. Where ripening is irregular 

 among the red varieties, orchardists pick the apple when it approaches 

 a correct stage of ripeness and has obtained the proper color. It is 

 not customary to pick apples by contract per box. All picking is done 

 by day labor at from $2.25 to $2.50 per 10-hour day. The apples 

 when picked are placed in packing boxes which previously have been 

 scattered at convenient places throughout the orchard. The average 

 picker will pick from 50 to 80 loose boxes per day. The average for 

 all records was 74.6 loose boxes, or 49.73 packed boxes, per 10-hour 

 day, at a cost of $0.0503 per packed box. 



