Harvesting And Storing

Apples are practically never allowed to ripen on the trees but are

picked and shipped green. By "green" we mean not fully ripe, not ripe

enough to eat out of hand. This is necessary for all fruit which is to

be shipped any considerable distance or which is to be stored. Used in

this sense green has no reference to color, but as a matter of fact,

much of our fruit is picked too green, before it has even reached its

full size and is well colored. There is no exact time at which apples

must be picked, but this depends on many factors such as the variety,

the distance to be shipped, the soil, the climate, and various other

conditions, to say nothing of seasonal differences.



The time at which any variety should be picked in a particular section

will be learned by experience. In general, apples should be left on

the tree as long as possible in order to get the best size and color.

When the apples begin to drop badly it is a pretty sure indication

that it is time to pick. If the fruit is to be sold in the local

market or for immediate consumption, it may be allowed to get riper

than would otherwise be the case. With most varieties one picking is

sufficient, but in the case of varieties like the Wealthy which does

not ripen uniformly, or like the Twenty Ounce, which does not always

color evenly, two or three pickings should be made. Two or three

pickings are practically always necessary where fancy fruit is

desired, in order to get the ideal size, color, and uniformity.