The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-01-01

have a complete shredding and
system, which makes the
hay as fine for forage as Northern
grown timothy, with double its
value. If all the North Carolina
farmers could adopt the same sys-
TEN, and they can, how many bill
lions would be kept at home. The
shredder cuts the vine into small
pieces and makes it more digestible.
l. use a machine manufactured iii
South Carolina. The cultivation of
peas helps the land.
Eve are putting into practice the
only thorough system of level ter
racing that can be used in this State,
which, when finished, will result in
reducing all of our farms to an ahso-
lutte stair-stepping level. The system
is used in the countries of the Old
World, but not in many places in the
United States. 1t will prevent the
rain from washing the fertility out
OF the land, and if used extensively in
the State, would save our farmers
millions of dollars annually.
ouI DuSllicSS 10, ~ llllh1 ll.N q f'lttlt L
nursery, yielding about 5O,OOO,OOO
plants a year Our output is sold in
Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Australia,
Porto Rico, England, France, Japan,
and the United States. The capacity
of our nursery is a half-million a day.
Our method of handling is perfect.
Each plant gets individual attention.
When an order comes the plants are
lug from the field. digging being
done with a forked hoe. When out
Of the ground the plants are placed
in barrels and taken to the packing
house, where they are Strengthened,
trimmed and tied into bundles con-
tanning 80 each. The handling, after
the plant is dug is done by women,
rs they touch more tenderly than
men. For this purpose we employ
several hundred women. When tied
into bundles the plants'are ready for
the basket in which they are packed
for shipment. The baskets, lined
with North Carolina moss, hold 1 900
plants each.
''In the midst of the shipping sea-
son we load an express car a day.
All the trains, the fast flyers and the
rest, stop for us. In the mid-winter,
while the plant lies dormant, large
quantities are shipped by freight; car
load at time.
I've have over 100 different varie-
ties of berries. Young fields are set
out during the early fall, or in the
winter or in the spring. Manuring
and cultivation during the summer
causes the plants to grow and to in
crease very rapidly. They form Il
dense mat across the field. The feel
ers take root and make more plants.
Plants for the propagating bed are
carefully selected.
''The berry shipping season is the
great event of the year with us Over
1000 pickers congregate here May
is the month. Women and girls are
used because they have a nimbler
touch, better eye for color, and are
by nature more diligent than men.
Then, too, they are more abstemious.
They may use their mouths more in
the field than the men would, but
they do not do it to the detriment of
my pocket book. | use men for the
carrying and lifting work AS for
boys, | am fond of them, but they
take entirely too much interest in
the richest, finest berries When Der
rles drop to ten cents a quart we
would not object to filing the aver
age twelve-year-old boy with berries,
were he less pranky and lighter foot
ed. If under stress we are forced to
employ boys we put them all to-
gether in the less valuable fields and
under the management of our best
foreman. At best, we lose money in
proportion to the number of boys we
hire.
''Preparationsfor the big event are
always made in advance. a general
poster proclamation is made. and all
good pickers invited to come and
choose territory To each woman
or girl | assign as many rows as she
can handle we'll during the season.
The picker brings with her a stake on
which her name is written. This
stake Is driven down to mark her
rows, or series of rows. As far as
picking is concerned, the patch laid
off remains hers during good be-
haviOr or till the berries are all
gathered. Skill and industry are
taken into account when the assign
ments are made. Small prizes Of
fered for good picking and for keep
ing the field neat have proved Il
splendid incentive. Each picker takes
an interest, a personal interest. in
her rows. After every days work
the fields are examined and a record
OF carelessness in picking the market
able fruit and MASKING the vines and
berries by trampling them is kept.
1t is considered a disgrace for a wo-
man to have her rows taken from her
on account OF laziness and slOvenli-
ness.
I'VE have, on an average, one
packing house to every % acres
The packing of the berries requires
skill and care. An inspector, whose
duty it is to examine all the berries
that pass through the house, is sta,
tioLIed dt etCh I'tttklllS StdllOI IL
is necessary that he see every basket
when it arrives and every crate be
fore it is sent away. From experience
we have found that negroes make
good field managers. but we do not
trust them to inspect.
Great care must be used in pick.
ing berries. We urge our pickers tC
pick the berry without touching it,
by pinching off a stem half an inch