PICKING 



13 



cient increase in value of the product, and of taking advantage 

 of the high prices often, prevailing early in the season. 



Some varieties naturally ^^hang'^ better than others. The 

 good grower knows this and takes advantage of the fact in his 

 picking plans. In general, a variety with a long stem may be 

 -left longer than a variety with a short, clublike stem. 



In recent years, to avoid repeated pickings and obtain the 

 best possible color, experiments have been conducted to see 

 to w^hat extent apples change color after they have been 

 picked. With some varieties a much improved color may be 

 obtained on the green apples left on a mulch under the tree 

 for a few days. This is especially true of Mcintosh. Such 

 fruit, when placed in storage, does not remain as firm as fruit 

 freshly stored. If it is watched carefully, however, it may be 

 placed on the market as of a higher grade than if it lacked 

 the added color. The fruit should not be placed in direct 

 sunlight, but in partial shade. Developments in this field 

 should be watched carefully during the next few years, especi- 

 ally in sections close to market. 



A New Consideration, Efforts are now being made to con- 

 trol the pre-harvest drop of apples by spraying the fruit with 

 certain plant hormones or growth substances. Rather re- 

 markable results have been achieved to date, and the investi- 

 gations are being continued. Work in this field has thus far 

 been done by the United States Department of Agriculture 

 at its horticultural station at Beltsville, Maryland, and in 

 cooperation with the Department of Pomology of Cornell 

 University in western New York. 



The matter is of great importance to the grower, since any 

 economical procedure which will both hold the fruit longer on 

 the trees and increase its color works greatly to his advantage. 

 The yield of hand-picked fruit will be correspondingly in- 

 creased, the higher color adds to the value of every bushel, 

 and the lengthened period of harvest helps the grower with his 

 labor problem. Some varieties, noticeably Mcintosh, drop 

 freely and almost unpredictably. It so happens that Mcintosh 



