Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1895-10-03
INCONSISTENCIES.
How the Michigan Crop Is Gathered For
the Marriott


How the Michigan Crop Is Gathered For
the Market.
When, in 1890, r. S. Porter, superin-
tendent of census, prepared the sched-
ules for the use of his fifty thousand
enumerators, he must have been un-
mindful of the fact that the swamps
and plains of Michigan furnished an
abundance of that delicious fruit
known as the huckleberry; for he pro-
vided no space for them, except In that
indefinitely-named column, "other
berries" Although the plains OF
northern Michigan produced immense
quantities of low-growing variety,
yet this article will describe more
particularly the high bush,' so.
called, of the central part OF
the state Here the oak openings
are interspersed with spruce and
tamaracls groves, whose boughs
shade matted growth OF the high
bush," mingled with black alders and,
too often, the crimson stems of the poi.
son sumach. These swamps are small,
an acre or less, seldom exceeding ten,
yet in some townships averaging one
to square mile The floor of the
swamp Is covered with an elastic mat
of delicate moss, from which rise the
bushes in thick clumps, six to ten feet
in height, may be less than q dozen
feet through, yet so dense that picker
on the other side from you is fully con-
| nH nd h,.af no \, | N m in,
many ways, are paths sunlsen somewhat
by the yearly tread of busy piclSers,
often wet, but none will admit that
the dampness is injurious. Some
favored spots there are, where the
moss and bushes hold undisputed
sway, and one may move with as much
ease and comfort as in well-kept fruit
garden; no snakes, nothing but yellow
| jackets and few hornets.
Many of these places have been
drained in the past, being considered
of little value as they were, but at pres.
ent, with near market, they are
valuable in state of nature, yielding
in rents alone more than the same
acreage of upland. This means that
every picker is expected to pay twenty
cents day, or one-third of the berries.
This practice is in defiance Of the es'
tablished notion that still prevails to
some extent, that wild fruit should be
free to all. But better ideas are gain
ing ground here as in other matters.
The season proper begins in the
| hn NJ nd
warmth of nature begin the inquiries,
the speculations, the plans. When, in
May, the blossoms appear, transform
ing the dreary swamp into snowy
bower, the interest takes on shape and
resolves itself into an anxiety regard.
ing the movements of Jack Frost,
whose touch would be fatal at this sea-
son. This crisis safely passed, anoth'
err question agitates the mind OF the
expectant piclSer-"Will there be a
drought?" Let us suppose all things
are propitlous, no frost, much rain,
and the fruit will begin to turn by the
Fourth, and from the middle of July
until the same time in September there
is good picking every day. This is ow
ing to the fact that there are several
varieties growing together, differing
in size, tint and shape. Black, darl
and pale blue, early and late, ripening
gradually, prolong the berry harvest
into the autumn.
The pickers are mostly women and
children, not wage-earners as a class
but, with the children, nearly every
woman in the vicinity whose health
and duty will permit, goes to tn,
swamp to gather the delicious fruit fol
use in the family to fill a few-scor,
cans, and lastly to get enough money
out of it to procure some article tina
she would not otherwise think o
obtaining. OF course, the gains arr
various. Under good conditions som,
will pick two bushels in long day
The prices ranges from five to twelv,
cents per quart and they are pur
chased mostly by the merchants in vii
lagos along the railway line. -Detroi
Free Press.