The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-10
WHITE HOP PICKERS.
They Grow i'm Favor and In
crease i'm Number.
AN OUTING FOR CITY FAMILIES.
Easy Work at Good Wages, in Which
Father, Mother and Children can
Join The Big Profits.

The actual work of hop picking fairly began
all along the valley yesterday. and this week
VIII see tin full swing. For The first few days
Il Will 90 slowly, because it takes little time
for man TO get his hand in" ana at the first
box day is about as much as is expected.
Alter a week or two a quick man can pick three
or four boxes day. and even five boxes is not
an uncommon days work.
The migration OF picSers 10 the ranches con-
tin1es hnabsted, and there is daily growing
scmlxlure OF whites A party OF eighty whites
has gone TO Thomas christophers ranch, at
christopher station. and of those who went ND
white river yesterday q large proportion were
whites. There were some whole families in
tnis party, ali of whom came from Dogfish bay.
They had worked for Mr.. Chris opher last year.
and came over in body to pick his crop this
season. so that they have saved him the trouble
OF se' king pickers. About 2,000 pickers are at
SnoqGalmie, mostly Indians. As the employ
meat OF whites increases, and he growers pro-
vide sui able accommodation Tor CIVILIZED peo
pie, the supply of white pickers grows. aud the
Indians arr displaced.
j. A. Nsdsau, of n Northern Pacific railroad.
VINO mas taken great interest in the e ploy-
ment OF white pckers, ssld yesterday: Moth
ing could be better for tie working people of
the towns than for whole families TO turn out
into the hop yards for month or two. Take
the case OF g laborer earning s. Gay with a
wife aud two or three children. In the city he
is the only one who can earn anything but in
the hop ranches the whole family can coutr-
butte. for the work is easy and healthy, aud
even il they only pick a box each IN a day. that
Is still 81 or s. for the fam Is. Not only this,
but the grower gives them tenement of two or
three ROOMS and provides them with milk and
berries. and they have plenty of fresh vegeIa-
bles. The work also comes at a season when
The weather is dry and pleasant, with cool
n II
an outing than of hard work. II is all nom
sense 10 say that the Indians are particularly
SKILL d III this WORK. man caa soon learn to
pick hops clean and quickly, aud the whites
are naturally more industrious than the Indi-
ans
"Ole pecu iarity of the Indisns is that they
will not wat for their money. AS soon as they
pick box OF hops. they take il to thu overseer
and demand their dollar. Then they pick an.
other box, get another dollar, and SO on. The
explanation is simple. The hops are light ard
settle in course OF time Thus box which was
full in the evening would probably settle foot
by morning and the picker would have 10 fill it
up"
The high prices now ruling prove a great
strain on the fidelity of some growers TO their
contracts where they had already sold their
crop. In one case a grower had sold his crop at
Is cents and felt if he wronged when
the price went over so cents. He finally sold ii
picked hops then being sl1s cents. He then
contracted with the buyer TO pick it for him. in
order to hide the transaction from his euchred
customer The latter found it out, how, yer,
and protested. Then the grower retorted that
buyer No had contracted TO take his crop last
year at Is cents, and when the price fell to or
cents. Jumped" his contract
An idea of the profit TO be realized from
present high prices may be formed from one or
two ms ances. One mans crop aggregates
$4,000 pounds, which, at 80 cents and allowing 10
cents for cost of production, leaves a profit of
ST., 500 On the same basis and estimating the
product at one ton TO an acre, the profit of the
Snoqualrnie ranch would b. $l75.o00 As most
OF the crop was already contracted for at lower
prices, the actual profit will fall much below
this figure, but il will show the possibilities of
hop-growing as a money making business. The
mau who sells his crop or part of it e0ly in the
season ia usually the one who comes ott ahead.
according to Mr.. Nadeau. Those VINO refused
TO contract for their crop last year, in expecta-
ton OF rise, were W efully disap-
pointed. One man makes q practice OF
only specializing with half his crop.
Last year he sold half of 1t by contract at Is
cents aud held the ofhsr half for speculation,
finally selling 1t at cents The result was that
the Is cents he received for one-half paid for
producing the whole of it, ard the cents a
pound he received for the second half was all
profit, while others who held on and finally sold
out at and cents had no profit. The same
man has this year sold half his crop al Is cents,
price that will pick the whole OF IT, and is
offered 80 cents for the other half, which will be
all profit.
A telegram was received by Jerome Cstlin
yesterday, stating that twenty-five whites will
come from Olympia TO pick hops for him, pay
ing their own steamer fare.
STRIKE AT KENT.
The following special dispatch was received
BY the Pasr ISTELLIGESCEg lat night:
KENT, o ~. 9.-The hop pirkers on Meeker's
ranch have struck. They demand si.25 per box
for picking, pole pullers to b. paid 80 pr day.
Sigaed, &c. l. BANCROFT,
~. W. BAKER,
And THREE INDIANS