PICKING 



15 



greatly to reduce these costs and bring them well within the 

 range of economical procedure for the grower. Substantial 

 improvements in convenience of handling, probably making 

 the materials available in units to be added to the spray tank, 

 are also expected. 



It should be kept in mind that these are preliminary find- 

 ings. Future developments should be watched with the 

 greatest care. The matter is one of great possibilities and 

 implications. The grower should keep in touch with the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, the experimental 

 stations and colleges, and the usual public service agencies. 



{e) Picking the Crop, Begin with the lower branches and 

 work upward in order to reduce dropping of fruit to a mini- 

 mum. The stems should not be twisted or torn out, because 

 appearance and keeping qualities are injured. The spurs 

 should not be damaged, because on them depends subsequent 

 crops. The fruit must not be cut with the finger nails or 

 dropped into the receptacle. It is a ruinous and shortsighted 

 policy to bring fruit to maturity in a high degree of perfection 

 and then to depreciate its value in the picking and packing 

 processes. 



Remove the fruit with an upward motion and twist of the 

 wrist. Harvest it only when dry, if possible, since wet fruit 

 has a soiled appearance, and, if it goes into a closed packing at 

 once, provides favorable conditions for development of scab, 

 mold, etc. 



As a rule, put only one or at most two men on a tree, both 

 because of greater efficiency in the picking process, and because 

 their work may be carefully checked. 



A convenient way for one man to raise a ladder is to thrust 

 one leg or side of the ladder into the ground or against a firm 

 support and to elevate it sidewise, exerting some pressure down- 

 ward at the same time to keep the base from slipping. In car- 

 rying the ladder allow it to tip back over the head slightly out 

 of the vertical, grasping a rung near the base with one hand and 

 another rung with a hand extended above the head. 



