Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-08-10

hepcefOrth be enumerated. A correspondent W
the Cincinnati Gazette gives account Of the har-
present season: .a-.
MILTON, TRMBrE County, KY,
July 90, 1889
When you and your readers sit down at your ia.
bles take your newspaper in your hand ana eat
free Y of biackberrics, IN some of the many
shapes in which they come ready for the Paiate'
do YOU ever wonder where so many come IRON,
or do you ever think that men of your own city
invest this year. in their purchases at least $751;,
600.
This CTrimble) county probably turns out more
berries than any other place of its size in the world
Until this year the farmers have generally been
accustomed to speak of the briers as 1.-THE farmers
pest" so little did they know Of the ways OF
Providence who, in giving them this unialilhg
crop, has put ready 70 hand, without toll OF cul-
tvation crop which this year brings them III
larger income than would the same space OF ground
planted in wheat at ninety cents per huSheL-
Walk from this town to Bedford. and even beyond
that branch out to Palmyra, on the one side, or to
Halls landing OH the other, and so long as the
reestonc formation lasts. there the brIers are run
ming with berries, bearing them down i'll all sorts OF
entanglements.
On the ten mile line between this and Bedford
there are ten buyers; in Bedford there are two; at
Palmyra three beyond Bedford two. and in the VI
cinity of Halls landing There are few others
who visit points on the river, but these DO no great
amount of business These buyers are the agents OF
ruiterers in Cincinnati who receive two dollars each
per day. for receiving the berries and shipping them
Generally these men are of bricr patches OF
their own They are authorized to pay at this time
thirty cents per bucket for all berries taken In but
at the commencement of the season, when the ripe
berries were more scarce upon the bushes, as high
as sixty cents was paid, and two days later, forty
cents.
will explain the operations at one stand, which
will show how the business is managed at all, then
will make up the figures to show the extent OF the
outlay.
The BUYER, whose business am going to explain,
several patches of berries. he reserves for
the picking of his own family all of which from the
mother who is well nigh on to fifty years of age.
down to the youngest child are out in that field
Besides these, he has in ether patches, their own
and their ncishbors fourteen pickerS. These start
ont at break of day. and pick until about 10 o'clock,
when, the sun being very hot. the berry does not
stand so well when picked during the cooler
hours Men. women and children now shoulder
their buckets, carry them to the receiver. who emp
ties them into the stands, each drawer of which
holds one buShel and one peck The number of
buckets are set down to the pickers credit at
the rate of thirty cents per bucket, and occasionally
when bucket of cXtra-szed berries broug hit in,
on additional five cents is added to its cost.
Wagons now come along and bring the stands to
the river at this point. where each day, Between
one and five o'clock. there Can be seen from hun
,lred to one hundred and fifty stands equal to
about 500 bushels of berries, which are daily ship
ped.
In the evening some picking is again done, the
berries being brought in the following morning
On Friday evening and Saturday no picking is done,
for the reason that the packet does not on Sat
urday to your city.
! was present on Friday at the paying of the
pickcrs at no less than three stands. and | found
upon inquiry that the uickcrs collectively at each
earned about s29 per diem. This yields from 81 20
to 81 30 to each picker the result of their days
cxertons.- Tine family received for the weeks
picking s2I and over. Not bad wages for children
to make.
Up toward Bedford the farmers nave only this
year got into the Business, the consequence of
which that they very liberal, and they allow
the pickerS to pluck the fruit and make no charge
therefor but down nearer this place, where every
rpeniny berry is watched and pluckcd soon as it
is black the pickrrs pay cents per bucket to the
owner of the patch, that lie has not only the
profit made by picking of his own family, but the
additional clear profit of about Is cents per bushel
on the berries. which, considering there has been
no cost of cultivation. and that there is surety
the CROP is not so bad The season lasts from four
TO six weeks.
All the buying here, or nearly all of it, being for
two or three firms in Cincinnati, have been ena-
bled to come pretty near the exact figures: There
in all 10 receivers at cost of 81 per day. 273
pckers, averaging to receive 81 10 per day; haul
ers, averaging to receive 81 80 per day; freight on
1870 stands of drawers per pay, at 81, making a
daily outlay in cash, payable weekly, of $3.50 80:
or for the season Of its usual length, equal to $40
6s5, all Of which is expended within the county
except about $4,000. Add to the total amount the
occasional expenditure for premium buckets and
we have total expenditure of about $25, 900