Barton County democrat., 1903-10-02
A Letter From Oregon.

letter which 1 do not know if it will
be of much interest, but will do the
best 1 can.
We have been out hop picking
since l wrote to you. Hop picking
in this country is somewhat like
wheat harvesting in Kansas in some
respects. Every hop grower is on
the move to get enough pickers before
the hops spoil. Hops soon spoil if
it rains on them and the sum shines
hot immediately afterward. The
man we worked for had 10-acres
which was picked in Z DAYS. There
were about 35 pickers. Hop pickers
are paid by the box; box holds 9
bushel and they paid 40 cents per box.
One person can pick from 4 to
boxes per day and some experts pick
8 and 10 boxes day. 1 hauled the
hops from the field with horse and
sled for which l received $500 per
| day.
There are great many hop
growers in this country. Hops are
planted about feet apart and poles
from 10 to II feet long are set in the
ground for them to vine on. When
they get ready to pick the hops the
poles are pulled down so they can be
reached without difficulty. We earn
ed, all together in hop picking the
sum of $685. which is pretty fair for
Z days.
have been to Seattle, Washing
ton, but do not like the country; part
! of the town stands on edge. That is
it looks that way as you have to
climb steps in the sidewalk, these
steps often run for a block and some
times more. While in Seattle 1 saw
some large ocean steamers. One of
them was the steamer Roanoke
which goes back and forth from
Seattle to Alaska. Seattle has a
good harbor as it is sheltered by
mountains.
At Ballard, Washington, l saw two
of the largest saw mills that 1 have
seen in this country. There were
two large sailing vessels in dry dock
there. At Green Lake, Washington
l saw an iron water spring and about
80 yards from the iron spring there
is sulphur spring both of which
flow good size stream; there is also
a tree there about feet high that has
little thorns all over it, it is called
devils war club and its looks are
worthy of the name.
There is some nice looking country
in Washington, but none that strikes
me very well. Wages in Washington
are from $50 to S2.25 but it is
mostly work in the timber: which is
very disagfeeable in winter.
Wages here in Oregon City are
from s1.75 to $500 for common
labor. There is plenty of work here
but 1 would not advise any one tc
leave job to come here to work
My reasons are this, that you have tc
work on night and day shift. One
, week you have to work days of IL
s hours and the next week you have tt
work IA hours in the night for the
! same price as day work. The
!. machinery never stops. When it i:
! dinner time you have to work and ca
at the same time and the same wa,
at midnight lunch. We are workin,
for the Willamette Pulp and Pape
: mill and get s1.75 per day. Paper
/ is made from Spruce and Cottol
: Wood timber.
, Great RATS of logs are brough
down the river for that purpose
Another thing we have to do is t.
e work on Sunday. If you refuse tt
: work you loose your job and there Il
: not much work outside of the mills
S The working class of people do no
!, seem to know when Sunday comes
E The mill runs mostly by water power
There are 10 boilers also, so you car
have some idea of its size.
An engineer gets from $3.50 t.
$3.50 per day, carpenters about tn,
same. Land sells from SO to S10(
per acre, land that sells for less thar
$40 or $50 Is not worth much. The
cattle of this country are not of verl
good stock, most of them are jersel
! and sell from s25 to $40 per head
. There are good many of nice look
ing horses here that sell from SOS up
j small horses or ponies can be bough
for less money.
I will bring my letter to close b,
thanking you for your past favors anc
for the valuable space which thest
: lines take up in your paper.
: Yours truly,
FRED BECKER.
uoI y1v