The Arvada enterprise., 1917-08-16
HARVEST WAR CROP
OF APPLES SHORTLY
It Will Equal Two Bushels for
Every Man, Woman and
Child in the Land.
STAPLE FOODS TO ALLIES
Motto This Wear 10 "Eat an Apple and
Send q 0iseuit"-Unusual Need
For Handling crop-May Be
short Of Help.

short Of Help.
The United States Is about to har-
vest Its great war crop OF apples. 1t
equals two bushels to every man, wom-
an and child in the country. In order
to send as much staple food as possi-
BILE 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 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
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 bust
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 1t is necessary to recruit
new kinds OF workers. People who
have never regarded themselves as up
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 n picking
force Is to be recruited. Stores and
factories can often release clerks and
wOrkmen for this service II notified In
time. Families who would like n week
or two Of vacation In the country with
light, healthy outdoor work ut satisfac-
|
Join the picking army. II has been sug
gested that the schools might be open
ed later this year 40 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 wOmen's Orgnniza
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
dinary times have simply been shifted
into other occupations, and war condI-
tions 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.
The principles Of careful fruit pick
stood. 1f'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
volunteers, while new TO the work. will
also be people Of good average intelli-
gencc, and the war emergency will ap-
peal to their interest so that they will
be more than ready 10 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 pickcrs and report
the number OF pickers needed by them.
selves. One Of the greatest difficuI.
ties In organizing harvest hands for
any crop Is that Of gathering accurate
Information ms to how many helpers
are needed on each farm and In each
township. For lack OF such informn-
ton II very often happens that one
township will be- handicapped because
II is without sufficient helpers and II
township twenty-five or thirty miles
away will hnvc II surplus OF workers
BY nsccrtninlng in advance Just how
mnny workers will be needed In each
locality, business organizations will be-
able TO recruit II sufficient force and
lneTe VIII ne nelIli"T N'hTcl'y nor sur
plus In any section.
This yenr's apple crop calls for spe.
cial methods OF handling. The size Of
IN. crop makes II necessary TO send
only the first.clnss fruit to mnrket nnd
10 see thnt all seconds and culls are
sold In bulk around home or worked
~ into by-produc's. There must be
great care to see that apples nre not
exposed to the hent or outdoors after
picking. but are properly housed In
temporary storage places on the fnrm
and carefully cooled. The scarcity Of
pickcrs will probably mike It neccs
sury to pick and house the crop HRS,
and grade md pack II Afterwards. Full
directions for handling the fruit VIII
be published later.
The great big task Immediately
ahend is thnt OF securing picking
force, and In this work the bushes.
man and the farmer Drc cooperating
to nm extent never known before. ThIs