643. Some Agricultural Subordinate Labors
Shabbos 8:5
If a person plucks chicory or prunes fresh shoots intending to use them as food for people, the smallest measure for which he would be liable is the volume of a dried fig. If he plans to use them as animal feed, the smallest amount for which he would be liable is enough to fill a kid’s mouth. If he plans to use them as fuel, the minimum amount is enough to cook an egg. When it comes to gathering food, when intended for human consumption, the minimum size that renders one liable is the volume of a dried fig. When intended as animal feed, the minimum amount is the volume necessary to fill a kid’s mouth. When intended for use as fuel, the minimum amount is the enough to cook an egg. “An egg” means a normal-sized chicken egg; “enough to cook an egg” means enough cook a portion of an egg the volume of a dried fig, which is one-third the size of an egg. The labor of gathering food is limited to produce, which grows from the ground.
Shabbos 8:6
If a person takes figs and makes a chain of them, or if he pierces dates and passes a string through them until they are like a single unit, he has performed a subordinate labor of gathering sheaves. This applies in all similar situations.