The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-17
NEW OCCUPATIONS FOR WOMEN.
Nut Cracking as n Business and FleoP Scrub
bling ne q Profitable Speciality.


bling ne = FroHtabIs Speciality.
It is a rare thing nowadays to hear a woman
say: II can't lind anything to do" English
women contend that American women are never
at n loss to find employment. In view OF some
Of the odd industries that give a livelihood TO
women here this seems moro than half true.
Mrs. Barotti, in Chicago. makes a good income
by conducting a nut-cracking establishment.
This is an innovation. and one that pays welL.
Nuts are cracked at other places In Chicago, but
Mrs. Barotti's establishment Is the one best
known to confeot.oners street vendors. and tho
best.known society people. At this season
Mrs. Barotti's business has q boom. and
will continue to increase until after tho
Christmas holidays. Her place Of business
IS a long, narrow room opening on the
street. Down the centre extends q long table
surrounded by men, women, and children.
In front of each person is q square iron slab
with nuts piled high on one side Of 1t. Each
worker has a hammer and pegs away from
morning until night. Skill Is required to ex-
tract the meats without breaking them. A
good nut cracker can crack out about sixteen
pounds Of nico clean nuts a day. For that
amount the cracker receives So or a little more.
In the busy season Mrs. Barotti employs from
A Philadelphia woman has hit on a novel plan
Of converting muscle into cash. When her hus-
Ddnu, " luUOIluR ulhl. ult lehNlnR NOR Win
four small children with healthy appetites she
decided to become a professional cleaner Of
kitchen floors. She has worked her speciality to
advantage and is so efficient that her REGULAR
customers would as soon think OF allowing n
plumber to tune q grand. piano as to permit any
one Else to touch their kitchen floors.
Many kitchen floors nowadays are made OF
hard wood or tiles or are covered with oilc!oth
or linuleuin. An expert can clean them with
great r~apidity, as this woman has proved. She
makes the average floor as neat as wax in half
an hour. and charges only rs cents for doing SO.
She carries her own tools. soaps, and cloths for
getting the dirt off and putting the shine on,
and leaves things spick and span behind. her.
on a certain day. She is an exact woman, and.
knowing this, her customers have the kitchen
ready for her. She earns from 50 to 81 a day.
and says she likes the work better than standing
behind q counter
For some time q number Of women in New
York have been doing professional mending.
Fxpertness with the needle is tho only prepare
ton necessary for this business. The members
are missionaries in a way. for they seek out
bachelors OF their boarding houses. apartments
and hotels and make a contract to keep buttons
on coats, vests and trousers. to darn hosiery
and to close up rents in clothing. The price
charged for such service varies according to the
size of q mans wardrobe.
This scheme of a perambulating repair shop
appeals to the average man, for it means money
in his pocket Tailors charge good round sums
for odd Jobs. and q woman fixes up many things
that q tailor would not touch. 1t is easier. too.
TO have u woman drop in, while u man Is away
at business. and rid him of all the worry about
the condition Of his clothes. The mender visits
her customers at stated intervals.