PICKING 



7 



because the ladder is too short reduces the quantity of fruit 

 picked. 



The tops of many trees in some of the older sections cannot 

 be picked with anything shorter than a 28- or 30-foot ladder. 

 If such trees have a place in the commercial orchards of the 

 future, a well-balanced extension ladder will meet the need. 

 Step ladders are also useful for small trees and those with 

 bearing surfaces near the 

 ground. A single leg or 

 prop in front prevents tip- 

 ping. See Fig. 3. 



In selecting receptacles 

 for picking, safety of fruit 

 from injury is the first con- 

 sideration. The second is 

 ease and rapidity of ma- 

 nipulation. Oak-stave bas- 

 kets, half-bushel or three- 

 quarter-bushel size, with 

 drop handles and padded 

 inside have been popular 

 in many sections. How- 

 ever, the picker spends so 

 much time in moving them 

 about, even though the handles are equipped with hooks, and 

 it is so easy to dump the basket by catching it on a branch, 

 perhaps losing all the fruit in it, that this type of receptacle 

 is losing favor. 



Large pails are preferred by many orchardists. They may 

 be attached to a strap over the shoulders. They are especi- 

 ally desirable for tender varieties. The sound of careless 

 pickers dropping the apples into them may be readily heard. 

 Picking bags with bottoms that open may answer for harder 

 varieties and in the hands of careful pickers. The bag enables 

 the picker to use both hands in picking but he is liable to bruise 

 the fruit by knocking the bag against the rungs of the ladder. 



Fig. 2. Careful inspection of the trees 

 is essential to a dependable crop 

 estimate. 



