HARVESTING AND MARKETING THE CROP 557 



terns, but the responsibility is then entirely on the operator, 

 and misunderstanding and dissatisfaction are likely to ensue. 

 It is better to make the picker share the responsibility by put- 

 ting in evidence his check or card when he gets his pay. It is 

 also evident that frequent paydays will help to keep things 

 running smoothly. 



Dried Fruit, In Ontario, Schuyler, and Yates Counties in 

 New York, blackcaps are grown for drying. For the most part 

 they are harvested by a special contrivance. A '^harvester'' 

 or wide frame covered with burlap or muslin is pushed under 

 the bush. The operator pulls the canes over the frame with 

 a wire hook in one hand, and with the other he ^^bats" the 

 canes with a light wooden paddle. The ripe fruit falls on to 

 the frame. The plantation is usually gone over twice by this 

 method. The leaves, sticks, etc., are blown out by running 

 the dried product through fanning mills. Three to 4 quarts 

 of freah fruit make 1 pound of the dried product, depending 

 on the variety and the condition of the fruit, whether dry 

 and seedy or juicy at time of harvest. The dried fruit can of 

 course be transported long distances and kept indefinitely. 

 Red raspberries may be dried, but the shrinkage is very great 

 and they are unattractive. The purple varieties are better for 

 this purpose. However, with the advent of new and improved 

 methods of canning and preserving, and storage, it is likely 

 that the demand for the dried product will diminish rather than 

 increase. 



Life of Plantation, Berry plantations will last indefinitely 

 if well tilled and fed, pruned regularly, and kept free from 

 disease. 



If grass and weeds invade the rows or sod forms about the 

 roots, cane growth becomes weak and yields quickly fall below 

 a profitable level. The black raspberry is as a rule the first to 

 surrender. Winter killing takes a hand now and again. The 

 prevalence of disease is often the limiting factor. Mosaic, 

 anthracnose, crown gall, and orange rust will take heavy toll 

 and must be fought constantly with some members of the group 



