The Monticellonian., 1917-08-16
HARVEST WAR CROP
 0F APPLES SHORTLY
It Will Equal Two Bushels for Every Man, Woman and
 Child in the Land.
STAPLE FOODS TO ALLIES
Motto This Year Is "Eat an Apple and Send a Biscuit"-Unusual Need For Handling Crop-May Be
 Short of Help.

OHoTt or ncip.
 The United States is about to har- vest it's great war crop of apples. It equals two bushels to every man, wOm- an and child in the country. In order to send as much staple food as possi- ble to our fighting allies, Americans are urged to use as many apples as possible. The motto this year is: Eat an apple and send biscuit"
 War conditions also confront the apple growers. for there is a scarcity of pickers, and careful preparations must now he 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. \ survey of the situation shows that the farmer will need cooperation from business men in the towns and cities round about it which he trades, and which have just as great an interest iii this crop as the farmer himself. This is emergency organization work to be taken up immediately by chambers of commerce, boards of trade, state and county councils of defense, and busl- 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 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.
 The organization work should take the form of an immediate survey of labor resources to see where a picking force is 10 be recruited. Stores and factories can often release clerks and workmen for this service if notified in time. Families who would like week or two of vacation in the country with light, healthy outdo.r work at satisfac- tory wages. may also be induced to join the picking army. II has been sug gested that the schools might be open ed later this year so that boys and girls can be sent to the orchards. but this will not be necessary In all cases. One very good source of pickers can be found among the wemen's organiza- tions of this country.
 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 dnary times have simply been shifted into other occupations. and war eondi- tions demand that business men step in, locate other classes of workers who can he shifted to the orchards for this and see that the farmer has plenty of help.
 The principles of careful fruit pick ing are very simple, and easily under stood. If the farmer can start with two or three experienced pickers and spend little time explaining good picking methods to his volunteers he should get excellent results, for these while new to the work, will 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 the crop skillfully.
 Apple growers are advised to get in touch with the business organizations in their nearest town, ask that help be given in securing pickers and report the number of pickers needed by them selves. One of the greatest difficult ties in organizing harvest hands for any crop is that of gathering accurate information as to how many helpers are needed on each farm and in each township. For lack of such informa- ton it very often happens that one township will be handicapped because 1t is without sufficient helpers and township twenty-five or thirty miles away will have surplus of workers. By ascertaining in advance just how many workers will be needed in each
 
 able to recruit sufficient force and there will he neither scarcity nor sur plus In any section.
 This years apple crop calls for spe cial methods of handling. The size of the crop makes it necessary to send only the first-class fruit to market and to see that all seconds and culls are sold in bulk around home or worked up into hy-products. There must be great care to see that apples are not exposed to the. heat or outdoors after picking, but are properly housed in temporary storage places on the farm and carefully cooled. The scarcity of pickers will probably make it neces- sary to pick and house the crop first and grade and pack it afterwards. Full directions for handling the fruit will be published later.
 The great big task immediately ahead is that of securing picking force and in this work the business man and the farmer are cooperating to an extent never known before This is war crop. It will be harvested with a war organization.
 
 A Call Misinterpreted.