The Greeley tribune., 1903-11-26
Spud Pickers
Notes on Their Being.

! VOW tllaI tIle STedl I4%'"t'o' y
the perennial spud picker has taRet
place and the space Ovef the potato
fields where we have watched ms
frame silhoueted against the morning
horizon as he took an extra hitch II
his overalls contains nothing bul
pure Colorado atmosphere. one cannot
help wondering from whence he came
aad where he has departed Nobody
seems to know; not even those tc
whom he brought so much happiness
for a bliet season, and from whom he
carried away good share OF the
seasons profit. He has gone, and we
must now devise other means OF dis
sipaton to separate ourselves from
the little he left US. Like the sum-
mer and the iceman, the slud picker
becomes a pleasant memory with the
first approach to a wintry day, ana
we're it not for his periodical re-
appearance we might think when OF
cold morning we find the potato
field empty of his presence and the
spud bench vacated, that he had gone
the way OF all flesh. But he has not.
For had he gone the way Of every
thing mundane, or everything mum
dane had gone the way Of him, even
we would be basking in the warm
sunshine of Texas winter-for that
is where he is by this time. But a
few OF US must remain behind to
prepare the soil for his next appear
ance year hence. With which
mournful introduction a few closer
observation Of the gentleman and the
atmosphere in which he thriyes may
be given from the view of a rank out
slider.
Some time after the last irrigation
of the potato vines nipping frost
comes along always few days be-
fore wanted-and takes bite at the
potato tops. When the sui begins
to Shiue on the vines they tuIn black
in the face ana then begin to curl up.
It is then that the farmer begins to
figure what his loss is and what his
profits would have been had the frost
waited but ten days longer. The
latter, of course, would have been
something enormous. He next fig
ures on whether the crop will be
worth digging 1t usually is, and
then his next worry is where to get
the spud pickers necessary to gather
up about $50 sacks to the acre.
All this time things have been
happening. Jack Frost has gone
down into the Arkansas valley to I'LL
an engagement in a big melon patch,
or may be busy making snow in the
hills for storage purposes. The sun
has been doing some more curling in
the potato patch and making things
ready in general. The tubers under.
meath are hurryins to add one more
ounce to their weight before the TOP
all dries up and soon they lay there
ripe, rough and ready for the horse
power digger.
Next, some evening there is heard
a great commotion down in the rail-
road yards. A freight train has
pulled in and the trainmen are run
ming excitedly up and down on tor
of the cars, swinging their lanterns
and shouting The engineer jerks
the long train forward and back until
the brake has counted two hundred
and fifty shadowy forms dropping from
the train and disappearing in the
night. Then the signal to 20 ahead
is given and the advance guard Of the
spud Iickers have arrived in Greeley
The next morning the first business
man down town finds the ''spud
bench and curbstoue lined with mer
who perhaps now for the first time
recognize each other as companions
here the year before, for brake
beams and trucks at their best are
but poor places to renew acquain
tances and it was dark when they
jumped the train at Denver
The coming Of the spud picker.
just after the irst frost is as certain
and as Characteristic as the migra
tion of the sea birds to their rock
cries at breeding time. He is OF al
nationalities and Of all sizes from tn,
tall "six foot six' giane from Ten
nessee TO the pigmy-Iike japanese
aud Mexicans who. invaded the fielt
this year. Most of him comes witt
an empty pocket and blanket rollet
on his back-the Elanket-for tht
sure enough spud picker leafs ant
sleeps HIMSELF 1t is only neces
sary to take a walk just along tn,
outskirts of the city to see scores q
him camped in groups of from two t,
a dozen. These visits to camps hat
better he made in the day time, how
ever, as the campers might not all b.
spud pickers. but pickers of diner