Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-08-30
IN THE HOP YARDS
Picking Will Be General Throughout
the Valley This Week.

This has been mop plCkeTS udy ~
Salem. All day Sunday teams were
carrying mop yard crews and camping
outfits out into the country. Sunday
night several boat loads of pickers ar
rived up from Portland and Salem
restaurants were busy more or less all
night feeding the lupulin harvesters.
Throughout this month large
crowds OF Salemites have gone either
to the mountains or to the seaside and
nowtcc mes the excursion to the hop
yards that almost completes the de-
population of the city. To those who
cannot afford to spend few weeks
at the mountains or at some seaside
or inland resort, a few weeks in the
hop yard will prove beneficial to the
health and at vhe same time replen-
ish the pocket book. A large hay
rack load of men and boys, number
ing about thirty, passed through Com
mercial street for yards south Of
town about $50 O'Clock this morning
and boisterous crowd it was indeed.
Each member of the party carried a
roll of blankets and other necessary
articles.
The willamette river boats are
being taxed to transport the 2500 Port
land hop pickers to points up the val
ley. Steamers Elwood and Altoona
both left Portland Sunday morning
with a full list of passengers, the ma
jority of whom were landed at Butte
vile, the remainder being transferred
to the steamer Ramona for Salem,
reaching this city about 9:45 p. m. last
night. They we're this morning taken
to the hop yards around Salem. All
tickets on the Altoona and Elwood
were sold for today's trip.
The first hop yard dance of the sea-
son was that at Doves yard near Eola
Saturday night. 1t was largely at
tended by pickers from the surround
ing yards and also large crowd from
Salem. An enjoyable time is reported,
Experienced hop buyers claim that
hops are harder to dry this season
than ever before.
In most yards the pickers ARE COM
PEELED to take greater pains than ever
before. They are required to be more
particular about leaves and other
trash.
Picking has begun in the r. r. Will
lard yard, five miles northeast of Sa-
lem. This yard has no lice nor mold,
and has one of the finest quail
ties in the vicinity of Salem. Mr..
Willard says he knows nothing of the
hop business, but good judges say they
are very fine and rich in lupuline.
Hop picking records are annually
made in the various yards but we
have heard of one that seems hard to
beat. One day last week in the Hay
den yard near Eola. ChaS. Gillingham
and Rolla Southwick, both Of this
city picked IL boxes between 7 O'Clock
ia the morning and 6 O'Clock in the
evening.
The rain-storm that appeared so
threatening throughout yesterday
transformed into an electrical shower
last evening, accompanied by a slight
sprinkle. The sheet tightening was
quite vivid and continued throughout
the evening.
The sprinkle Of last night did not
damage the hops, 'fruit or hinder har-
vesting any but to much rain at this
season of the year would do mnch
damage. Not only would the hops be
greatly damaged, but the prunes,
which are so largely raised in the val
ley, would suffer from the rain. They
would first swell and when the sun
would come out, the fruit would
crack, thus spelling them for packing
and greatly reducing their value in
the market. Harvesting is pretty
we'll along but the farmers are almost
wholly unprepared for rain. The
weather forecast for the next thirty
six hours is: Showers tonight and
Tuesday.