The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-07

1t IL Delicate Work In Some Lines and Great
Care Is Necessary.

Care Is Necessary.
Unless II he n lightning-speed s'enograph"
or a bicyclist pedalIing for a wager. no human
beings in this town work faster than the girl
putting up seed packets in the wholesale fowe
houses at this time of year.
How many OF those can you fill a day ~ wal
asked OF a girl manipulating ounce and quar-
tcr-ounce and qunrter-pound packages Of seeC
In a downtown store.
"Fifty-eight a minute came the prompt
answer. with never a pause in the dipping anC
measuring and pouring in. and before the Wis.
itor could even take in the idea Of how many
this might mean in an hour, the little Powered
paper squares. all sealed and ready for ship.
ment. had mounted up in sufficient quantities
TO make a newly emptied basket necessary TO
hold them.
II have been filing seed packets here for
six years said the expert later. when n mo-
mentary lnll made conversation possible. "Oh.
OF course, when | first came | couldn't begin
to do what l can now. My fingers couldn't
move fast enough. and these little measures
seemed too small to take hold of readily. but
with n little practice | got on bettcr, and after
q time. In, o season or two. | could turn round
sharp and be OF use. BY, three Of us working
together. one opening the bag. one filling, and
one sealing. we can turn out Il quantity. A
late cold, April like this was makes all the
rush work zone at once. and the firm takes on
new girls to help. hut experience and practice
are needed in the seed business, and in working
with hiGh;grade seeds or with the mixed
papers "A filler has TO be exact and trustworthy
or she would do damage
What, are the most expensive seeds we work
with? Petunias. the fancy. ncwlJ-grafted
ures arc used for these seeds. and it's some
thing Ike working With " h fns c am Gbss needle
tsrIe, ion see nj Is ,,n the diTp .I ~ nsn :. n ana
than a good sized drop OF water or n part of a
"The finest retunia seed is worth So an
ounce" the seed measurer went on, and part
of an ounce would furnish ever so many, plants;
be worked with very carefully to avoid waste,
Certain extra grades of calceolaria and petunia
that $500 pound for petunias sounds like a
fairy tale but the greatest pains are taken to
real those plants. o. course nobody 100 ever buys
great. In vegetable seeds the most expensive
that we have TO consider is the cauliiower.
very small measurements. The most of the
vegetable seed. however, are easy to work
with. being only and 10 cents an ounce, Corn
and peas and beans are particularly behind
There are hundrcds OF girls employed in the
Wholesale seed houses. Most Of them are
taken on in November and work steadily until
February. but the spring season. along about
ers. and after tho first stock Of oil -ready-to-sell
seed packets has been depleted. t.e girls and
all nao sSn 4 Ss nay so to wor Re6 to the Who p' hays p to sSf
their seeds and had them fail TO come up send
for duplicate assortments. and those who had
perhaps no idea OF planting at nll are moved to
experiment with flowers and vegetables when
the first warm days come. and there is n feel
a all our Iut the re eIHaHeta' seed orders ' arc ali
filled and provided for during the winter sea-
iniie the , dsm e1s4y i 1n nsSG ifr to R Ss en po 9mrn IN d asi
put up q new supply when the planting season
NIz.. - II, II. ,ool osI,n ,ro.I. y,lar, =,
and are valued only because they
are small fingered and alert. and can do the
,if9ss'e w T%sR ike IaSrt the sSG 5s.raoks s IA. mi mn",
expert. have learned the business and are no.
only quick but exact and reliable, are kept on
liable adjuncts to the business. A loading
seed house takes on iron, go 10 zoe girls in tho
so employed regularly. The girl nower-seed
is seldom a wage Garner, from. com
lfi0n; bs because c q With there tb is fn mo he'p pir Ior tb It;
girl seamstress. or the larger proportion OF
shop girls: The seed business is too irregular
,ended upon Tor living wages. and so the seed
iris are drawn from those having homes and
aren't to SUPPORT them hen but who w I}rI, Tor pin pin
nd pleasant. and the pay In, fair proportion to
he work. Most Of the girls live out OF town IN
brooklyn. and a man who engages batch after
Of them says that the Irish Americans
Gem to succeed best and stick to the business
omlng familiar with the nature and needs Of
iants and flowers generally leads the workers
D experiment on thelrown, account with grow
things in their hGmG plots, and this makes
hem additionally valuable to the business.
Some OF our girls have remarkable memo
les and can. carry more seed knowledge in
heir heads for, use, ofIhand. than any man IN
al been cXtolling his woman head worker.
They can, recall how. many inches across q
over is When grown from . certain grade Of
lGs OF ths blossoms. md whether this one Is l
'lvcty. and. dark or str"aked and light or !
.ottled; what seeds Civ, the best results, {
this variety or the other was best '
ked by customers. and n lot Of such facts that '
man would use a notebook to keep track |
No woman Is really at the. head Of or I
ed house that / know OF. The florists and t
rmers seem to Ike best TO treat with men re-
lrding their business and there is n, fceIing IN !
e trade, that men, are NOR" thorough and well !
10 natural leaders. but there are women get I
ng good salaries and doing good work every J
here in this line and several that | know Of 3
{! wv oD DM Tan mSt m' sscd Il , 1fG Go should give up \
may put 1t that way. IL n person comes in q
knowing exactly what he wants, tho sales
oman will make n dozen taxing suggestions g
at 4 man would not think Of. and she's apt at /
'eplng the run Of the trade and remembering I
where such and such n plant was :
Id t., n, certain person and gave. satisfaction.
ne girl who nae expellinented on a llttie a
garden of her own can give valuable "
nts to amateurs, and several Of Our girl /
have mad" up amateur ana city gar .
n collections Of seeds from their owl taste -
d Snqw!edEe tina; were practical and proved q
cd sellers. 81
n the big seed aud Hover supply houses in q
wntOwn. New York NJ this season. some hint &
husbandry and tlIlage aud the things thatthe o
lntry IL most concerned with appear TO have cl
: down under the elevated roads and into the &
.lolesale district. row and light-handled "