The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-23
WORK FOR WOMEN.
A Field Of Pleasant Easy Employ
ment for Willing Hands.
Millions Of Dollars Worth of Fruit That VIII
Go to Waste This Year for Lack Of
Labor to Handle 1t Properly


said dealer the other day, because grow
ers are sending it in so slowly. Some of it,,
like these cherries, you see, is not properly
packed either. The growers make q great
mistake. Their goods would be worth
more properly handled"
Then THE CALL representative went for
the growers side.
Said one overworked grower some thirty
miles up in the country: Look at those
gooseberrieS, spelling on the bushes. They
are worth good money in the city, but
cannot get them there. One man, my wife
and myself. working day and night, cannot
keep up with the fruit Those cherries
need attention at once, the strawberries are
coming on, and there is no help to be had
for love or money"
The next orcbardst visited was a lady.
She was busy packing cherries, assisted by
her young daughter Another daughter and
two boys were picking. Hard atswOrk,
she said. Eyes, we're busy now, but when
apricOts come in it will be day and night
work, Sundays as well as week days 1t is
almost impossible to get help"
Gould not the children help?"
"fhe school children? Yes, and they do,
bnt there aren't enough of them.
THE BOYS AND GIRLS
OF our Portuguese neighbors are almost all
at work. They. the little ones, can earn
four bits a day. easily, at it, but they are
not always to be depended upon"
Gould women do this WORT? 2"
Certainly. Why not There isn't an
orchardlsts wife in this whole section who
doesn't do it all summer long, yet there are
plenty WHO would once have thought they
couldn't do the lightest of their own house
work-in the city,"
The CALL scribe fell a-thinking. John
Cninaman is in demand in the country just
now. From one fruit section alone, the
Vaca Valley, III a recent year, he, collect
lively. sent back to the flowery kingdom
$4,000 that he had earned in the orchards
that season.
If our orchardists could get any other
labor they would have no use whatever for
him.
In San Francisco alone there are hum
dredS OF women starving, by slow process,
earning the merest pittance, bending day
and day over poorly paid needewOrk. Poor
homes, poor food, hard work, no pleasure;
dark, cherries rooms and unhealthy sur
r0undlngs are the order of their lives.
Out in the orchards are sunshine, pure
air, nealthful employment and good pay.
Cannot these two Should-.be friends, the
slabOrer and the labor, be brought together?
There is practical way Of bringing this
matter about, If our working-wOmen will
attempt 1t. Any body of women who will
unite, elect one OF their number fOrewOman
to go to the orchardists and contract their
labor for the fruit season, may come home,
each one, after four months work, tired. OF
course, with good, healthy fatigue, soon to
be recovered from, but better off in pocket,
in health, yigOT, pleasant experience, In
dozen ways than she could possibly be after
as many months Of toll in the city, that
would find her equally tired, sans the pleas
ant otf-ssttlng Items above mentioned.
Hundreds Of women OF leisure go camping
living In tents by streamside and In canyons
during the summer months and call it pleas
uTe.
Why cannot our working women 60 camp
ing among the orchards, dwelling in tents
during the fruit season, and call 1t profit?
IL could be made
BOTH PLEASURE AND PROFIT.
Orchardists would gladly provide tents
and living convenienees for such workers,
could they be sure Of them. They would
gladly contract for such labor a season
ahead. The domestic economics of each Of
such bands Of workers could be readily al
ranged among themselves.
a dozen 10 twenty women, through their
fCrewoman, could easily contract with one
orchardist for picking and packing his
cherries. OF course for the high climbing,
lifting Of heavy ladders, etc, each orchard
isl would have 10 employ man or two, or
boys, but women can pick great deal OF
he low growing fruit as easily as can men.
The writer has seen young ladies and girls
picking prunes and piums as haudily as
boys ever could. The cherry season over,
there are the peaches and apricots, plums,
pruEes, almonds, etc. about four months
steady work, to do which our baud would
not have tn 90 out OF the neighborhood,
probably, for good workers would readily
be caught up by the anxious growers As
fast as they finished In one orchard they
could proceed to another. The pay would
range from a dollar TO two dollars a day,
a dollar and half being perhaps a fair
average. The cost OF living need not eX-
coed four bits day, and our Overworked
city women would find the change
to the pure air Of the country most bene-
fetal. There Is no reason why the most
refined aud cultured woman should shrink
from this work. II they could arrange to
have their working corps made up among
their own acquaintaneos 1t would be as be-
fore ind Gated, a most pleasing combination
Of business and vacation. The women would
have to be fully prepared to hold by their
contracts, ana If they agree to 90 to a certain
orchard on certain day, to be there with
out fail, and if they go to remain up to the
time agreed upon, doing their work well
and faithfully. If they will do this they
can be certain of employment, say many
leading orchardists. all through the season,
and will save to frut-grOwers many mill
ions OF dollars, which are now lost, annu-
ally, by fruit going to waste for lack Of
hands to harvest it.
This is no pleasing theory Of an enthusi-
astic mind, but plain, practical possibility,
attested by some Of the leading fruit-grow
ers in the State, and embodies working So
luton Of the great question of this horticul-
tural State to-day, the question that is keep
ing back many man and woman from ell