Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 August 1907 — PICKING FRUIT. [ARTICLE]

PICKING FRUIT.

It Should Not Be Allowed to Get Too Ripe on the Tree. Many growers do not know the proper time to pick fruit—that is, the stage of maturity that puts It on the market In good condition. Very often one sees fine large pears and peaches that are rotting when the packages are opened because the fruit has been allowed to get too ripe on the tree before picking. Sometimes when the early market Is slack there is a demand for immature fruit for cooking purposes.

The Early Apple*. The first early summer apples may be profitably picked when they get big enough for cooking. This will be when the weeds are still white and before the fruit shows signs of coloring. The market Is-always looking forward to the earliest apples. Dessert and winter apples should not be picked until well colored. Those that stay on the tree are better flavored than those picked early. Win* ter apples will usually keep better If allowed to ripen in the cool weather of the fall. The ease with which some fruit separates from the twig by a nip sidewise gives a good idea of maturity. Apples should not be separated from the twig by a straight pull, but by a twist upward or sidewise. Peaches For Market. Peaches are picked for market When they show the clear, bright colors. They should not be pinched to test maturity. The experienced picker has a way of rolling the flat of his hand over the ridge of a peach, and the feel ' means the same to him as grain in the sack does to the miller's hand.—W. & Hutt _____ Hogs In tho Orchard. Hogs and poultry are good scavengers in an orchard, as they destroy many of the ibsect enemies and also the fallen fruit, which is often a harbor for protecting and developing myriads of these pests. Cattle and horses should never be allowed to run In an orchard--