58i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
i89i 
Business. 
FRUIT PICKERS AND SORTERS. 
Can We Decrease The Hand Work? 
Have fruit growers in your vicinity ever made use of 
machinery for picking and sorting apples or other fruits ? 
What machines are used, it any ? Is it not possible to de¬ 
vise some machine that will save so much hand labor in 
picking fruit ? 
The only picker I have tried is the sack with a picking 
attachment on a long pole. It h is no value except to 
gather good specimens from the top of a tree or to bring in 
specimens not easily reached. prof. j. l. budd. 
All Machines Are Color-Blind. 
There are numerous and very convenient implements for 
picking selected specimen fruits when beyond reach. I 
know of no such device for rapidly gathering the crop, ex¬ 
cept by shaking or jarring, with the unavoidable liability 
to bruising or otherwise injuring, and thus rendering the 
fruit unfit to rank as first-class. I have no knowledge of 
the use of such devices in this region. Machines for the 
assorting or grading of fruits according to siza, are occa¬ 
sionally used by growers and shippers here; and, so far as 
I learn, with satisfactory results. The assorting of fruits 
with reference to color is frequently desirable; but the de¬ 
vice for doing it automatically will, I fear, prove as un- 
producible as the much-talked-of flying machine. 
Van Buren Co., Mich. [pres ] T. T. lyon. 
Hope For Cranberries and Huckleberries. 
Fruit growers in this vicinity have never m*de use of 
machinery for picking apples or any other fruits. I do not 
think that any machine can be devised for picking the per¬ 
ishable small fruits that do not ripen all at once. A ma¬ 
chine that would be an improvement over shaking the 
apple trees and picking up the fruit from the ground, 
might be devised for picking cider apples and other vari¬ 
eties that meet with quick sales. Perhaps if caught on a 
netting with meshes arranged for the purpose they might 
be assorted into sizes without much bruising (but it 
would be troublesome to get all the small and poor speci¬ 
mens into the center of the package). I think a machine 
might be made for gathering cranberries and perhaps 
huckleberries. j. s. Harris. 
No Satisfactory Peach Sorter. 
No machine has been used for picking peaches. A 
“ canvas blanket” has been used for apples and is said to 
work nicely. There are several sorters and graders. I 
have used the Elllthrope grader made by Ohio parties, 
and it has not given satisfaction. I think that the ma¬ 
chine used by Delaware growers is better. J. F. white. 
Eureka! 
I have had some experience with the inventions made 
for gathering apples and have found the fruit gatherer 
invented and manufactured by C E. Cook a great labor- 
saving invention. It places the apples in baskets with less 
bruising than when picked by hand. I have one which 
I have used two seasons and think it saves the labor of 
from four to six men. julius Harris. 
Machines Would Revolutionize the Business. 
I am not aware that any machinery for gathering fruit 
has been employed in this portion of Ohio, but a peach 
grader is in use among the peach growers of Catawba 
Island and vicinity. I believe the nearest approach to 
machinery for harvesting fruit is found in a receptacle of 
some sort which is held closely under the fruit to be gath¬ 
ered. which is shaken into it. This principle is illustrated 
by an appliance for gathering black cap raspbjrries which, 
I understand, is in use, to some extent, in portions of New 
York where the fruit is used for evaporating. There would 
be objections to its use in gathering fruit for shipping. 
Apples and other tree fruits have also been sometimes 
gathered by similar methods ; but the system is not gener¬ 
ally applicable or satisfactory. It is not prudent, however. 
In this age of progress to assert that we never will gather 
fruit by machinery. Some rural Edison may yet arise who 
will solve the problem and the fruit grower may hitch his 
team to his berry harvester and drive around his field (no 
more patches) gathering in the luscious fruit, rejecting all 
green-tipped, knotty and defective one3, and putting the 
large ones on top, and delivering the crates, nicely packed 
and nailed up, to the driver of the spring wagon that fol¬ 
lows. In the meanwhile let us, while dreading the labor 
connected with the present system of gathering fruit, re¬ 
member that it may not be a wholly unmlxed evil. The 
small land owner can now grow small fruits because, being 
in a populous country, he can secure help to gather them 
and not fear the competition of his farmer brother who 
owns broad acres, but cannot secure help to gather a pro¬ 
portionate crop of small fruit. In some places we find it 
necessary, on account of the large acreage of berries and a 
scarcity of pickers, to plan so that each picker can gather 
the greatest possible number of dollars’ worth of fruit by¬ 
having a complete succession throughout the season. 
Lucas County, Ohio. w. w. Farnsworth. 
A Canvas Fruit Catcher. 
The greater proportion of the apple crop of western New 
York, is undoubtedly harvested and assorted for market 
by following the old-time method of picking by hand from 
ladders of various lengths as the circumstances required, 
the fruits being left in piles at convenient distances, where 
they are finally sorted by hand and packed in barrels for 
market. But orchadists are beginning to realize the Im¬ 
portance of adopting a more speedy and less expensive 
method of doing a work that involves so much labor during 
the frequently inclement and shortened days of autumn. 
Already devices have been made for facilitating this work, 
among which is one for gathering the frnit, the outcome 
of the Inventive genius of one of our most prominent fruit 
growers, Mr. C. E. Cook. 
It is constructed mainly of canvas and somewhat resem¬ 
bles a huge inverted umbrella. It is placed under one side 
of the tree, and the fruit having been shaken into it, passes 
down into the lower and smaller part of the gatherer 
through an opening, and is deposited in a large basket be¬ 
neath, leaving it in as good condition as is the general 
average of that picked by hand. The machine is considered 
a great labor saver and it certainly seems to be better than 
any thing else yet invented for this purpose. 
A great improvement over sorting from piles on the 
ground, is the plan of using tables of convenient height, the 
frame work of which is covered with canvas or enameled 
cloth on which the fruit is deposited as it is gathered, 
where it can be easily sorted and barreled for market, the 
culls or cider apples at once loaded into a nearby wagon 
and disposed of as deemed best. 
Another style of table used is constructed with a slat 
top with one narrow end sufficiently high to admit of an 
apple barrel being placed under it, the other end being 
made wider and of a height to allow the fruit, as it is de¬ 
posited there, to work Its way towards and into the barrel 
as the inferior fruit is taken out. The open spaces between 
the slats allow much of the leaves, stems and small un¬ 
merchantable fruit to fall to the ground. Narrow, upright 
side-pieces prevent the fruit from rolling off the table 
while the sorting is going on. IRVING D. COOK. 
Genesee Co., N. Y. 
A “ Sizer ” Possible Anyway. 
I am not aware that any machine is used about here for 
sorting and grading fruit. When at Riverside, California, 
I saw a machine for sizing oranges in use there. It seemed 
to work well, and I do not know why it would not do for 
any round fruit, pears excepted, on account or their 
elongated form. It would certainly cause a saving of 
time and money. N. ohmer. 
Montgomery Co., Ohio. 
Spraying Fruit Will Help Grading. 
In this county no machines are used for fruit picking. 
There are several devices for taking off apples and pears, 
but as only one can be taken at a time, they are too slow, 
and hence too expensive. There Is such a variation in the 
quality of fruit that it seems difficult to get anything that 
would assort properly; yet, with spraying to prevent 
wormy fruit, the different sizes might be graded by the 
plan adopted by orange growers. It Is by no means one 
of the Impossibilities to construct a machine that will get 
together and grade fruits, especially the tree fruits. These 
could certainly not be handled in a worse way than is done 
by many who handle apples and pears as though they 
Were potatoes. By a proper pruning of treeb so that the 
f rui t will be on the outside, the branches might be jarred, the 
fruit gathered on a padded platform, and graded and bar¬ 
reled in one operation. Such a thing is not impossible. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. geo. t. powkll. 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
The Pneumatic Fruit Dryer, is made by the Vermont 
Farm Mschine Co., Bellows Falls, Vermont. This ma¬ 
chine is remarkable for the rapidity with which it oper¬ 
ates. It is made in all sizes. Dry the fruit this year: it 
will pay well. 
The Belle City Manufacturing Co., of Racine, Wis¬ 
consin, make an excellent ensilage or fodder cutter. They 
claim the only self-feeding machine on the market. All 
sizes are made, for hand or power. These cutters do 
excellent work. The catalogue, sent on application, 
describes horse powers, root cutters, saw frames, grind¬ 
ers and other useful and well made Implements. 
New Horse Power.— At the Geneva, (N. Y.) Fair was 
shown a new horse power which sells for $40. This is the 
flret notice of it which has appeared in print. It was pat¬ 
ented April 19, 1891, by two young farmers. It is very 
light, easily taken to pieces and adapted for one or ten 
horses without change. An endless chain passes around 
the ends of all the arms and also around the balance wheel. 
A simple V-shaped cut in the irons attached to the ends of 
the arms and wheel prevents the chain from slipping until 
past the wheel, when it slips out easily and goes on around. 
It will run any kind of farm machinery and is so simple 
that there can be no trouble by reason of breakage. Tread 
powers have many opponents, as a horse can be easily over¬ 
worked, and becomes stiffened unless good judgment is 
used, while many horses refuse to work on them at all. 
Milking Machines. —Several milking machines are in 
use in England and Scotland. Most of them operate on 
the suction principle. A tube shaped like a cow’s horn, 
with a rubber cushion, is fixed on each teat. From each 
tube a flexible hose runs to a large pipe which is connected 
with an air-tight milking pail. An air pump, hand or 
power, creates a vacuum and sucks the milk from the cow 
into the pipes, where it runs to the pail. Part of the tube 
is of glass, so that the milker can see If the milk is run¬ 
ning from the teat. When the milk is all drawn, the 
tubes fall off and the cows are “ stripped ” by passing one 
tube from teat to teat. With this machine It Is claimed 
that about one quart of milk can be drawn from each cow 
per minute. There are two types of it. In one the suc¬ 
tion is continuous. In the other a pulsating movement is 
kept up, the teat falling limp after each stroke—as close 
an imitation of the work of the human hand as is possi¬ 
ble. Against the first system it is claimed that the con¬ 
tinuous suction induces inflammation of the teat and loss 
of milk, while in the other it is said to be impossible to 
keep the tubes fastened to the udder. 
Reduction in Price.— In all the trials of tillage tools it 
has been settled that a digging tool will not leave the sur¬ 
face of the soil in the proper condition for seed. The sur¬ 
face must be smooth, level and fine. There is no tool that 
fits the surface better than the Acme harrow, and it 
pays to use it after every other tillage tool. The latest 
advice from the manufacturers is that the Acme has 
been reduced In price. It is now the cheapest riding har¬ 
row on earth. Duane H. Nash, Millington, N. J., sends 
circulars telling the story about it. 
Australian Excavating Machine. 
The Farm Implement News gives a picture of the ma¬ 
chine shown at Fig. 209. It is an Australian device used 
in that country for making ditches and other excavations. 
The following description is given : “ It is three wheeled, 
and one of the wheels Is very large—about eight feet high, 
with one side covered. The spokes are broad plates, 
which divide the space within the wheel into compart¬ 
ments. The earth is thrown into the lower part of this 
Australian Excavating Machine. Fig. 209. 
wheel by a plow, and is then elevated and falls Into a box 
or receiver which forms the body of the machine. By 
means of a screw arrangement the land wheel can be ad¬ 
justed in height. It is stated that one size of the machine 
weighs a little over a ton and requires three or four horses, 
or an equal number of oxen. It will break and fill a cubic 
yard of earth in a minute. There are two larger sizes of 
the machine, with a capacity of two and 2>£ yards per 
minute respectively.” 
A Power-storing Brake. 
An English company has put on the market a device 
that promises to be of great service to horse or tram car 
drivers. The Mark Lane Express thus describes it: 
The mechanism, which is fixed to the front axle, contains 
two strong spiral springs, and In the operation of stopping 
the car these are wound up. When released the stored-up 
force of the springs set the car in motion for a distance of 
30 yards on the level. The machine serves both as a brake 
and a starter, and the power is utilized by a simple turn of 
a handle. The weight of the machine is about 4>£cwt, but 
as the ordinary brake gear is dispensed with, the net ad¬ 
dition of weight to the car is only 2cwt. The relief afforded 
to the horse is very considerable, as the car absolutely starts 
of its own accord, and the invention must therefore be both 
humane and economical. 
The energy of motion during the act of stopping is stored, 
and thereby made available to propel the car forward or 
backward a considerable distance, instead of being expend¬ 
ed in friction, as is the case with ordinary brakes. The 
power is collected into a system of powerful coil springs, 
the resistance of which acts through the axle on the wheels 
to stop the car almost instantaneously ; and while the or¬ 
dinary brake block arrangement causes a rapid wearing 
away of both blocks and wheel tires, the new brake, acting 
as it does on the axle and not on the wheel tires, obviates 
all the wear and tear due under this head to the present 
defective system. 
This will prove very helpful to horses that are forced to 
their hardest work in starting the cars. We have no doubt 
that the time will come, before many years, when in the 
muddy clay districts of the West, metal or stone tracks 
will be laid along country roads on which cars or wagons 
will be hauled. This will be found the best way of hand¬ 
ling the “ road question ” in those parts. On any smooth, 
hard surface a load that can be started can be hauled with 
comparative ease. It is strange that this “ power storage” 
has not been thought of before. 
A Sled Corn Cutter. 
During the past year we have described a number of 
home-made contrivances for cutting corn in the field. We 
now show, at Fig. 210, one that has been placed on the 
market by a Western manufacturer. It Is easily under- 
A Popular Corn Cutter. Fig. 2 1 O. 
stood from the picture, being a low sled with wings at 
the side with sharp knife edges. These wings are so ar¬ 
ranged that they slide in and out like drawers. One or 
both can be used at a time, or both can be pushed in under 
the sled. In working this machine, the horse is hitched 
to the iron hook In front, and one or both of the wings 
are drawn out. Then, as the sled is drawn through the 
corn, one or two rows are sliced off and drawn on to the 
sled and pushed up against the iron railing where they 
are either tied into a bundle or dropped off at the side. 
Some forms of these sled cutters give general satisfaction, 
while complaints are made against others that they will 
not work in fallen corn. 
