The morning call., 1891-06-28
BOYS IN ORCHARDS.

- The question Of the employment Of city
boys and girls in the orchards was brought
up at-the meeting Of the HorticultuTists on
Friday, and the prevailing opinion appeared
to be adverse to the scheme Several hOrti-
cblturists said that while girls work and
work we'll, San Francisco boys do not Ike
work; there is TOO much hOodlumism about
them; they smoke cigarettes, frequent sa-
looms, and are lazy The frut-gTowers who
expressed these views might have condensed
them into the statement that the San Fran
cisco boy is built on the same pattern as
other city boys, and bears some resemblance
to the street Arab of the Eastern towns, and
TO the gamin of Paris.
Except perhaps, few infant phenomena
who never come to anything, there are no
boys anywhere who do not prefer play to
work. 1t is the nature of the species. Mr..
BlackwOod, himself, who is so hard on our
boys. probably liked game of baseball
himself in his youth 1t is hardly a dis
paragement to a city youth that after work
ing hard at school for ten months. be should
prefer amusement to another batch Of work
in his holidays That our city lads are gen.
orally hoodlums, cigarette smokers, fire.
quenters of saloons. and stoners of China
men is not true. Those who say so mistake
the exception for the rule. That there are
Tad boys in the city every one knows; but
that the bad boys are types of the whole no
person Of observation will admit We're
the boys such as Mr.. Blackwood describes
them they would not be as faithful attend
ants at school as they are.
This is a question which is Of more i'm
porJance to fruit-growers than to parents Of
no Tot
boys at, home during the holidays or send
them for few days to the ranch Of friend
There are plenty Of honest aud wholesome
pleasures within the reach Of boys in the
city - bathing, baseball playing, fishing,
tramI ing over the hills and 50 forth. But
unless the grower can get his fruit picked
bis venture will not prove so profitable
His OWE interest should prompt him to try
70 overcome rather than suggest obstacles,
and to make the best Of the situation as it
stands. There are not pickers enough in
the country parts; he cannot import Chi
nese; Eastern labor is not coming, and is it
not worth his while 20 try to make some
thing out Of these city boys in spite Of
occasional exam pies Of laziness and hood
lumism?
II may be taken for granted that the
nv AgEN uibA al HldLuS u lti6 GUlluI6u Vi lBt
poor in European cities is not higher than
that of our city boys. The harsh epithets
which are applied to the latter would fit the
former. But the hop crop of England is
mainly harvested with city labor engaged
fer the period of the harvest Droves Of
young people Of both sexes from London
aoat.jnto Kent.at the hop harvest and earn
enough to carry them through few weeks
idleness after they return 10 town.
Nothing substantial in the way of utilizing
city labor in the orchard can be accom-
piished without organization. There must
be co mbinati0n among the young people
who really want TO earn money in the holt
days, and an organization of the force into
gangs, with foreman. There must be a
place where saeh gangs can report their
numbers, their expectations and their ex-
perience; place to which the fruit-grower
can carry his Te9uisiton for so many hands,
for such and such time, at such rate of
wages When this organization and this
Tallying point are secured the flow of Labor
from the point where il is not needed to the
point where il is ia demand will begin. In
an article on the subject the other day The
CALL suggested that there are ladies con-
nected with the Wpmen's Exchange who
possess the ability and energy to put the
Project in practical shape. 1t may be re-