The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-02-24
CRANBERRY PICKERS.
SCENES IN A BERRY BOG IN BARN.
STABLE COUNTY.

O0AAS Ss~SSCs
The cranberry bog is now dry. The vines,
you must know, are but q few inches above
ground, and the ground is red with the de-
licious fruit. This bog I now describe may
be six to ten rods square, more or Less. Lines
are fastened to pegs in the ground, dividing
the ground into rows or alleys some five or
six feet wide. The pickers begin two in each
of these rows. Down on their marrow bones,
old men and women, young men and maid
ems, and children, too-any n that will
work and stick to it. Such the owners must
have. Eachperson is provided with a ''meas-
urea tin vessel holding just six quarts.
With the measure between the knees the
picker claws, and rakes, and scoop with his
or her fingers and gathers the berries in.
Some leaves and sticks, and with some
rogues boys, of course) much besides ber-
ries 60 into the measure-the screening pro-
cess later on separating the fruit clean and
pure. But the one chat is too careless or dis
honest in his pickings finds, maybe, that the
old truth, 'The way of the transgressor is
hard" has not died out on the CAPE. "No
more of your pickings here, blast your eyes!
Doncher know cranberries from grass and
sticks and things? Git Quit" And SO the de-
linquent picker hangs back for a spell, to try
again, or maybe trots on to the next bog to
see if he or she may not perhaps do better.
For it must be known that "picking'' on the
cape is a matter of no little Importance to
these hardy sons and daughters of the soil;
it means bread and butter and clothes and
ribbons and things to these girls and boys
and men and women, who have to push hard
in many ways through the year to make both
ends meet.
On they go, the rows all full, two by two
q man and his wife in one row two sisters in
another, two hardy young men in another.
Old Drat-it-all-so called from his constant
use of the word at any annoyance or sur
prise that meets him-has his grandson by
his side, just learning to pick; in spirit and
heart and strength they are two children to-
gether. And here and there, no mistake
about it, a young man and young woman
are by themselves in another row, each Of
whom believes that the company of the other
is about the best there can be this side the
heavenly shore. You hear but little talk
from them as they creep along upon their
knees. They hear and understand each
other, to be sure, but no one else knows of
their converse
1t is hard on the hands, this berry picking.
Some wear finger stalls, but others nothing,
and at night their poor finger ends are red,
sore, aching and seem covered with chang
nails" Think of this, ye families, as you
smack your chops next winter over the lunch
Of turkey and (ahD that relishing cranberry
sauce-the berries gathered with the pains
and patience of this same earnest, good
hearted fellow, or this same best girl of his,
on the respondent September day. Some of
the pickers can pick two measures to the
Others one. A smart housewife will leave
her kitchen and children to the care of the
husband, and, while he minds the dinner pot,
does the chores and smokes his pipe, she will
Ego out a-pickin'" and earn $1.50-yes, 81
a day. "It's real nice" said one to me the
other evening, ito go a-pickin' and grow fat
on it. I earnt last fall well on to $40 a-pick-
in cranberries, while Bile, here, stayed at
home and took care of things"
A new picker cannot earn easily more than
fifty to sixty cents a day to start with, and
after the first days attempt, if he does not
wake up next morning sorer and sitter than
any army mule after q days campaign, why
then he is smart and enduring-thats all.
The whole work is done on the hands and
knees. An intelligent young man among the
pickers said to me, Doesn't it remind one Of
the southern slaves chat used to beg "Well,"
I said, "asa picture photographed you might
call it slavery on the Cape; but then it is not
a cotton field. You are not a negro nor q
slave. That overseer that stands behind the
rows to see il you don't monkey your meas
ure carries no whip. He's rather free with
his slang and 'cuss' words, but you can talk
as well as he. You can vote next November
as many times as he can. II he abuses your
sister with his slang or too much dictation
you can up and at him with your tongue or
Qcko - Vos> 1900 - kro-o~e.-.3- 49,
great as he, and, thank God, you are a free
American citizen!" ''That's So" said the
brawny fellow; and he skipped back with his
filling it again, with al the spirit and will Of
O man that's bent on success and q living.
Each person carrying a full measure, ''six
quarts mo partial measure is counted), to
the ''house,'' or place of screening and pack
ing, receives q ticket. When a picker can
show ten Of these first tickets he can cx-
change them for one new ticket of ten times
the value, and SO on; and as the time pro-
crosses this arrangement is simpliied and
carefully looked after, SO that at the end one
can sum up his earnings very easily.
The pickers go to work at a very reasona-
BILE hour-from 7:3O to 9 a. m.-many of
them, mothers of families and others, COM
ing several miles to the ground after morning
homework is done. At noon all knock of
for their lunch under the trees, among the
bushes, or in some convenient house. An
hour or less of rest and chat, sometimes a
little sport, and the afternoon toll begins.
Pick, scratch, scrape, and pick! Time
after time the full measure goes to the
''house, - until the frightening shadows come
The overseer keeps behind, presenting, it
must be confessed, a slight suggestion of the
old slave driver Of the southern cotton field
or the diamond mine; but, as before said, he
has no whip, and it is a sort of free slavery.
II you dont like the work and place, just up
and ''git"-no man is your master. Only, if
you choose to pick crauberries, you must
pick them clean and fair. You must fill
your measure and keep out all sticks, rub
bish, ETC., SO far as possible; and you must
not skylark it too much with your work
mates.
The last half Of the measureful Of the day
say about 4:3O or AS o'clock-is about
the hardest part Of the days job. But q
little more scratching, a few more wide,
clean sweeps of the weary hands n the last
brimful measure-it may be your twelfth,
or possibly your twentieth, if you are an ex-
pert-is done and the head maj shouts, "All
Off and with the crowd Of thirty or forty 9th
ers you hurry to the ''house," take your turn
to empty, receive q now ticket Or exchange
those you have, hang up your measure and
think Of home. Horses are put in, coats and
jerseys put on, dinner baskets seized and the
crowd scatters after the "Goodbys," "See
you tomorrow, Jim," Coming to Crowell's
bog, Maud, tomorrow etc., etc.-Barn-
stable County (Mass.) Cor. Chicago Tribune.
Idlers In the Parks.
sSay, boss! kin you spare me q few pennies
fer me lodgin's" @.#.. g.: "".M.m. II
He sat on a park bench and mouthed the
query a. the man addressed walked along
scanning the line of idlers. The beggar's
eyes-for he was a b~eggar-showed no change
of expression as he took the price of two beers
and sided Of. The long line of benches
reaching in curves along the asphalt walks
like the arms of q dismembered octopus, were
fairly filled with hard featured men, weary
looking men, unkempt women, children and
all that goes to make up the idle tide drift Of
agreat city.
The favorite posture for men is to thrust
the hands into the trousers pockets and sit as
far on the edge Of the bench as possible: lean.
ing back and stretching out the feet. Ap-
parently some have the bottoms cut out Of
their pockets to bury their hands as far as
they do. Those who object to having chill
dren trip up and fall on their legs will draw
up their feet, cross the legs and nurse one
knee with both hands. A man sitting in the
square rarely changes the position he settles
into. The place just left bya man who has
been sitting with his feet out before him
can be told readily, because no has to spit
fupfhor ont on tho WALL IN c1oor lic foos thou