The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-02
4 CRANBERRY BOG.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE BER
&IES AND TIE PICKERS.
Ceanberries in New jersey and o1
Cape Cod-Jersey Boss Are
Often Free to All Corners =.
xCranberry'' Poultices.


TAPE COD is the great cranberry
{ country Of all this part Of the
W world. The cranberry rum
the fish that named the plac
hard n the affections Of the people
It does as much now toward support
iag them, and it is the only thing te
est that that desert was ever known *
produce.
Jersey grows crsnberries, too, an
the picking business is more pictur
esque than on the Cape. There tht
'shome folks" manage, by turning al
the men, women and children into tht
bogs, to handle the crop, and, a
everybody knows, there is nothing e1.
citing about the native Cape Coder.
BE is q suitable subject for Miss vii
kins's pen, but hardly for Rider Has
CARDS.
Bat in Jersey, around Cranberr,
Centre and Pine Ridge, tho picking l.
done by wild and vagrsnt class, many
Of whom nansgs to get along with ne
visible means of support all the yesl
till the time comes that they can work
IN tl hop fslds or the cranberry bogs
The worst Of the work is the stoop
ing. Many of the men have theil
knees capped with leather, and move
abous more or less without getting up.
About third Of the pickers at Pint
Ridge and theresbout are women, anG
it is noticeable that they are in every
way less systematic at their work thar
the men; thsy ssoop, they bend to
their knees, shey sit down on tbs
ground foz change.
"Ihsy pick IS fast as the men frs
part of the day." said the buyer, who,
in 9 shed at the edge Of the bog was
measuring fruit, s'bus they give out
sooner. But they come out Of the
season with more money than the men,
for they don's throw it away so fast. "
Many of the pickers here sre COL
ored people, and many are Italians
and with both gambling Is . great pas.
tine. They stop during she day *
gamble with their ''tickets." !" These
tickets are given them instead o:
money by the buyer and are redeem
able once week.
The aotusl picking is done in pail
or baskets slung around the neck:
these are emptied as filed into big.
ast, wooden box that can be swung
comfortably on the back. When it il
filed it Is slung there, and 30 carried
to the buyers shed. A bushel o:
berries is small load and q bushe'
and half good-sized one.
In most Of this region the cranberr,
10 sill regarded as sent by the grscs
Of God, one man having as good s
right to it as another. Pickers who,
uHder this sort Of squatter sovereign
ty, own their berries, get this fall
fifty cents bushel for them. Some OF
the men can pick three bushels and
more In day. But many Of them
shorten their lsbors by sgane Of sever
up in the woods after they have taker
ia . couple Of bushels.
Many Of The eolored people live il,
cabins around the bog-lands, and
some Of saen board other pieEers dur.
ing the cranberry season-$2.5 so {
week is popular price.
II other parts Of Jersey the bog
and taeir product are trested ss pri.
vste property, and then tho picking n
done by children and neighbors mainly.
There Is no suoh chance to make
noaey as the wild bogs afford, and
Strangers are not drawn to the work.
Things ara managed on this plan, TOO,
as Cape Cod. But, though on the
Cape hired iaborers picking In private
bogs 80 to speak, get only twenty-five
cents q basAel, the discrepancy is moi
50 gzeas IS it seems. Picking can be
done: :Assec in shess private bogs; The
plants are in better condition, largely
becaase Of moro careful handling Il
previoas picking seasons, they grow
more Shickiy, and she culture that II
bestowed upon them results in Oigge,
berries and more Of them.
<: 81 tell YOU" said West ssreetme1
chant, who goes into cssnberrles deep
as hs puts it, and who visited Cape
Cod in the beginning of the season tc
examine tie crop, "thera isn't pret
sier sight than some Of those cultiva
sed bogs down there, after the berries
are ripe. You sec the bushes, vines
they call them mostly there, and they
are neither bushes nor vines, as a mat
ter Of faos-welI, whatever you cal
them, they amt big enough, and
haven't leaves enough on it to hide the
Berries and they just show up red and
bright in the sun, over miles OF coun-
try, till its prettier than any flowers.
The girls pick down there, and some
times they'll put some berries on the
stem In their dresses or in their hair:
and when they are good looking it
looks nice, I tell you. You've seen
those immense big crsnberries in mar
ket this year, haven't you3 And you
thought they were the best, didn't
you? They are what they call culti- |
waited berry, and they bring a high
price for their looks but pretty Is as
pretty does with a cranberry, and
those are not the best cranberries |
they are dry, and have not the favor
nor the acid some Of the smallest ber-
ries have. The big ones and the best
ones both come from Cape God, but
shey are not the same thing.
s'They doctor With oranb nbar1ies down
On the Cape-dld you know that?
got touch Of erysipelas while WAS
shsre. - I have It in my arm once IN q
while. s Was going to hurry back 10
see my own doctor here, bnt the old
lady where Z Ess stopping begged me