The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-31


berries, with down coated skins and white pulp, |
not the GdHUsSictd dumOsd, or cracker berry, |
hut tho TdccHiuH PennspUdnicum rdciHdns OF |
bOtanists, the dwarf blue huckleberries. There |
are no ',ss than thirty different species, vdrie-
ties and sub-varieties.
Leaving the old lady and her daughters. went |
on, up The mountain SIDE, and reached the edge |
Of the Great Barren" The sun VS. setting, |
throwing its golden beams In long lines across |
the deep, wide valley h d crossed, and, break |
ing In bars through the tall pitch pines. cast |
rosy sireaks up anu down the heathery noun,
tain side, for the huckleberry is speci OF
heather, one Of the large family known to bota-
nists as ericdcde. The g Slussacas and the Vac:
cintulns may be called the American cousins OF
the Scottish hcathers. Little heads between
hollows where small springs broke out wateted
ferny heads aud through the hucklobefry heather
came or went the companies and families OF
pckers. There were
MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN,
but mostly children aud young folks. There
were fewer boys than girls, aud fewer men ~
women. suppose there were hundreds, but
saw anly few u the l'Oo OF more that pix
around the wagon Of the MiddletO~n buyer.
They were a hardy. independents looking SET,
made their toilets at +. N. for the huckcuerr
barren, not for church or sunday school. one
little boy, wearing straw hat with ragged
hrtm, set his arms akimbo, holding ON To the
wlistband OF his trousers as he answered my
| questions lie looked up IN my face ana said
= I've made all the money that has bought my
clothes since was eight years old, aud bet
tor clothes than these, too. TINS Is my huckle-
How Old are you. and did you make the
money picking huckleOerriesW
81 am twelve wears old and made most OF
my money picking berries When | was eight
years ord made az a month " driving COWS to
the neid Ia the morning aud back ut night for
the mixers The rest OF the day went a ber-
rying In the berry season; aud e"rned then about
where do you live, and what Is your manner"
l asked.
81 1--we in wcrksbo Cwirtsboro), and my name
Are YOU going home tonight Johnny. and
coming back in the morning TO pick berries
Yes; have earned my sixty cents TODAY,
| picking twelve quarts, and I'll do the same to-
"why do you come so far to pick berries
| Are there no good berrying grounds near Wirts-
YES, the shawangunk barren is nearer, but
| this barren Is tue best and largest OF all. This
was burned over last year, and you see now
| lie ran on "A little way and gathered hand
| ful of the snort hueklsberry bushes aud brought
| them to me. The fruit hung thick under tue
| small pale green leaves; sometimes IN racemes
| an inch In diameter and nearly two inches long.
THE QUEEN OF THE pIcKERs.
| While was walking with John Brown, l kept
| an eye ON the commercial exchange which was
| going ON between the Middletowu man and the
| berry pickers. There was no chatteripg or DIS
| putting. The berries were fairly me 4sured. Inc
| BUYER did not seem inclined TO heap the meas
ures too much. while the sellers we're willing
for them to TO neaped enough to allow for tue
settling OF tho fruit IN the boxes. one girl, Jane
| Harding, picked seventeen quar.s. Miss Jane
| was handsome eirl with a We'll rounded tOrtu
| aud sprinsv step. Abby Wilkins. a slender
| slip Of a colleen. with Large wisttul tlue eyes,
| set In a pale lace that was shaded with q L4rse
sun-bunuet. had picked twenty quarts; but the
average OF most was from twelve to fifteen
from the piCkers' pals to the MiddetI wn buy
er's boxes there came owes the rioge Of tue
Oarrens a woman ana three children riding on
ouckboard wagon, aud driying a qgick.
stepping lat. slick, and clean horned young
wi b, "Here comes Mrs. Reynolds ana net
family; now We VIII have good huckleberry
story for this Sun reporter Mrs. Reynolds and
her children can pick more berries than any
family Of four on the balrens." On came tho
queen OF the huckieberry pickers. No longer
young, but not an old woman, she sat erect on a
spit-Oottou chair, her two youngest children, a
among the pals OF berries. Her oldest. tnlr-
teeD-ysar-Old 10Y. walked by the side Of the *.
Her Keen eyes took In our group with quick
pleasant glance, and in less tnan three minu' es
after her arrival she grusped the situation. pick
ers, agent, SuS reporter, and all. War; she was
too, and like all diplom fists. let Others talk
more than she did herself, and asked more qpes-
lions in few pointed sentences than she gave
Others chance to ask her, and wnen Question ed
by any OF our party, frequently answered by
question In return. I'm take all YOUR terries
At iye cents aauart," said the Middlesown man.
IL suppose they are all fresh =
IAN picked since sunrise this morning" re-
me picked most a busuei near my house, on the
other side Of the barren. by half plst II this
morning. Then L went home, put the uerre )
! down cellar u keep cool wnie got dinner Tor
my nine boarders. After dinner we started with
the berries on tue wagon for this SIDE Of the
|
The berries were measured, beginning with
those picked 10 the afternoon; there was a
bushel and ave quarts. "spl ndid pickiDs -
calculated the tnddleiown man. Then ne he
gan TO measure the mornings picking. lie had
and snOok his head These berries are wet,
he said. didn't you say that YOU picked them
this morning, Mrs. Reynolist'
| yes was the qIi X re- ponse. Don't You
remember saii thai / out them down cei ar
while was getting dinner. expect thai maze,
TO resume a chat with Jane Harding and me
ana seemed not TO notice the hesitation 81 tue
buyer la FINISHING The me surement OF the
berries. Sanford BIrtis, In the mean time
, who was assisting the buyer, ana amp AIRED t. ne
friend, who was as much trusted by toe
huckleb-rry queen "a ~ the agent. spoke w.
flake the berries, Pre1more. | wirrtn you
they sra fresh. H. growing dark down in tbs
rough roads. and no moon u spe X or Nj
Pfedmors drew l@na etsa,n hGrnedly anc
plid Mrs. Reynolds three dollars aud seventy
cents. aqd We started d.wn ne mo9nt,ln soc
the other way. and was soon lost -ight of anon!
the ieathery terms ani hhcAleperfY heatner.
john BROWN or wURTsBORO'.
The next morning when. little fter sunrise
, | stepped OUT on the plnzz, AZ Burtis's. fpun'
a row ot boys sittin. on long Bench taking
rest and engaging their berries TO the MlillH
= town NJ u before they started into the barren
! John Brown was amonl them. they hnd al
I | walked from WrtsbOrO that morning befOr
j | sunrise, brlnging their dinners witt them.
a | wanted to study the bucklcherrv pckers chlr
e acteristic- and hatits. so making an excuse tht
|
! pouds on ny way back 10 Nontlcel'o' an SOM
I une to carry "A basket and gather ferns am
c moses. offered johnny the pcice q nj day
= piching to 70 vita me. pr missing that woul'
+ walk my morse all the way II he would 20, o
i let him ride behind, whichever he pre-
, ferred He accepted my offer, and afi e
5 breakfast we started. hut not foot O
I the whole eight miles would That sturdy noun
I tlin berry picker ride. He took me around b
e Lords and McGer's ponds, and described Il
e furciole yernaculdr Yankee English tho beau
J. ties Of Mastun Pond, where the water IL deer
7, al sar as crystal, and stocked with perch. troul
i piskerel. and catfish. Inc wild ife uf the buck
: woodsmen VINO live around Yankee POND am
VOLTS Pond, and who fish and hunt deer an
I be Irs for living In the fall, cut down pitc
| pine for kindlng wood in the winter, whe
h II can be easily hauled 10 market oyer tue &c
( and snow; plant their little gardens ana pttche
In the spring, aud piCk berries and snare RABBIT
T m the summer. one man had killed three ~
I last fan with two shots Of his double-oarrelle
Il gun. He sold the skins for go a piece ana III
a me At for 80. " hat VS. gooi dAy aihlng7'
e \ i'd j ,hnny Brown. Johnny knew now rdbbli
. we're shared, d shared them himself both b
"A nm and moose" snares and box snlres, ii
o knew, too that after the pine timber was thinne
u out On tue barrens the hucklebeTry bushes ega
V To IT Iw, then after the second yeir the iolh
n hmm burreus. and then the bushes bear mt