The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-06-01

too green they will wilt and become
flabby and their taste is anything but
good. There is great difference in
varieties in this respect. The big yell
low peaches like the Crawford, FL
berta, Foster, Chairs Choice, Reeves
Favorite and many others, will hold
ND much longer than the early peaches
like the Alexander and Hales Early.
1t is a difficult thing to get the early
peaches into market in proper shape.
The writer has known Crawfords,
Early and Late, to stand for a week
after being picked when ripe and not
be seriously injured. On the other
hand Alexanders and Early Rivers
have been known to spoil in day.
Inasmuch as all peaches do not ripen
at the same time the picker must be
able from sight to select the ones ready
to pick and not to pick the greener
ones Too many beginners will want
to pinch the peaches to see if they will
do to pick. This must not be allowed,
for every peach SO pinched will soon
spoil. The eye must be the guide.
Some experienced person must. go
along with the pickers to instruct
them. If the beginners are ordinarily
bright and take a delight in their
work they will soon learn how to dis
tinguish the peaches ready to be picked
from those that are not Nothing but
experience can make the person a dis
eliminating picker. The writer knows
what it is to take a dozen men from
the grain farms or the logging camps
and put them into peach orchard to
pick one of the finest fruits that grow.
Another thing will have to be i'm
pressed on the mind of pickers, and
that is, fruit of all kinds, and espe-
cially peaches, must be handled care
fully. Occasionally we find picker
who seems to have stiff back, for
he will not stoop to place his peaches
carefully in his picking box or basket,
but without bending he will drop his
peaches into the box with a thud.
Peaches so handled will soon spoil. 1t
is sometimes recommended to line the
picking basket but we have not found
this to be necessary; and If they are
lined it will not save the peaches from
being bruised by the stiff backed picker
who drops the peaches from two to four
feet into his picking basket.
In picking apples, as rule the tree
is stripped of all it's fruit at one time,
consequently the task of picking out
the ripe fruit from the green is OBJ
waited. But apples must be handled
carefully. Bruises that would scarce
ly be noticed on the apples at the time
will greatly affect their keeping. 1t
is better at all times to have a picking
boss, unless you have tried and eX-
perienced hands whom you can trust.
Apricots, like peaches, cannot as a
rule be all picked at the same time.
The same is true of many of the large
plums. Prunes, if picked for shipping
in the fresh state, are generally all
picked at once. When they are in
teAded for drying they are allowed
to get ripe and fall from the trees
and then are picked up from the
ground.
Fruit having been properly picked,
should be hauled to the packing house
with care. 1t is better to have springs
on the wagons used for hauling. In
fact, it may BE said that at every step
in handling fruit care must be exer-
cised and no slamming around be toll
Grated. Handle fruit as if they were
eggs and not cannon balls.
The packing house should be ar
ranged both for convenience and like
wise for protection to the fruit 1t
is question whether the fruit should
be packed direct from the picking box
or basket or be poured out upon q
suitable table. The argument in favor
of packing from the picking box is
that in this way frequent handling
is avoided. In some packing houses
both peaches and apples are sorted
into sizes before they go to the pack
ers. In others the packers do the
sorting. If the packers are expert