Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-08-24
WAR APPLE CROP.
This Years Harvest of Fruit viii
Help Whip Enemy.
SCARCITY OF PICKERs FELT
Size of Crop, Equal to Two BusheIc
for Each Person in Land, Calls
for Special Methods of
Handling for Market.

In couple of weeks we will begin
harvesting all over the United States
an apple crop equal to two bushels
for every man, woman and child in the
country. This is a war crop. The
consumers Of the United States will
De urged to use apples in the food saw
Ing campaign by which we are in
creasing the amount of wheat and
other staple foods sent to our fighting
allies.
Eat an apple and send a biscuit"
Is the motto this year.
War conditions also confront the
apple growers, for there is a scarcity
OF pickers, and careful preparations
must now be made to see that this
crop is all safely harvested and put
into storage. Now is the time to be-
gin organizing picking crews in every
apple growing section. A survey of
the situation shows that the farmer
will need cooperation from business
men in the towns and cities round
about at which he trades, and which
have just as great an interest in this
emergency organization work to be
taken up Immediately by chambers of
commerce, boards of trade, state and
county councils of defense, and busi-
ness men generally.
The labor supply to harvest this
crop exists right in the cities adjacent
to the apple orchards in most cases,
but the draft and demands of fac
| tories and railroads for labor have
disturbed the normal supply of work
ers upon which the farmer usually
| draws, and it is necessary to recruit
new kinds of workers.. People who
have never regarded themselves as ap-
pie pickers may this year be asked to
go to the orchards and help get in the
crop for patriotic reasons.
Much is heard about the scarcity of
labor, but there is not as great scar
city as most people imagine. Workers
upon whom the farmer depends in Or
binary times have simply been shifted
into other occupations, and war condf-
tons demand that business men step
in, locate other classes of workers who
can be shifted to the orchards for this
emergency and see that the farmer has
plenty of help.
There will probably be some diff
Guilty in harvesting the apple crop with
these volunteer workers, many of
whom have no experience at the work
Perishable fruit must be handled care
fully to prevent injury to the skin anC
bruises. These would later cause de
cay when the apples go into storage.
The principles of careful fruit pick
ing are very simple, and easily under
stood. If the farmer can start will
two or three experienced pickers ant
spend a little time explaining goot
picking methods to his volunteers HI
should get excellent results, for thest
volunteers, while new to the work, vii
also be people of good average intelli
| gence, and the war emergency will ap
peal to their interest so that they will
be more than ready to help harvest tn
crop skillfully.
Apple growers are advised to get i
touch with the business organization
> in their nearest town, ask that help B
given in securing pickers and repor
the number of pickers needed by then
selves. One of the greatest difficu
l ties in organizing harvest hands fo
: any crop is that of gathering accurat
information as to how many helper
= are needed on each farm and in eac
township. For lack Of such inform;
, ton it very often happens that on
). township will be handicapped becaus
it is without sufficient helpers and
township twenty-five or thirty mile
away will have a surplus of worker
By ascertaining in advance just ho'
!, many workers will be needed in eac
= = locality, business organizations will
able to recruit sufficient force.
This years apple crop calls for sp
cial methods of handling. The size {
;, the crop makes it necessary to sen
only the first-class fruit to market an
to see that all seconds and culls al
sold in bulk around home pr wOrke
up into by-products. There must /
great care to see that apples are M
9 exposed to the heat or outdoors aftt
= picking, but are properly housed
r temporary storage places on the far
> and carefully cooled. The scarcity {
pickers will probably make it nece
: sary to pick and house the crop fir
and grade and pack it afterwards. Flu
directions for handling the fruit wi
r be published later.
= The great big task immediate
ahead is that of. securing a pickir
' force, and in this work the busine
= man and the farmer are co-operatir
to an extent never known before. Th
is a war crop. 1t will be harveste
with a war organization.