The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-11-10
HOW THEY PICKED
HOPS AT YAKIMA

Hood River, Or, October 11.-Editor
Glacier: We have Just returned from a
five weeks outing in tent in the Yaki.
ma hop fields, and wish TO tell those
who were lucky enough to stay at home
the delights OF the trip, "lest we forget. "
Dazzled by the visions held before us
of the wealth 10 he accumulated in the
hop fields; planning what we would do
with all the silver dollars we would earn;
wondering il Butler's bank could find
room for all the money 80 hop pickers
would bring home with them; buoyed
up by assurances that families OF four
and five, two or three OF them small
children, would make at least IS per
day we departed full OF joyful anticipa-
tions. For who does not like TO find
something easy with lots Of pay at
tached?
As we travelled onward day by day it
was remarkable how the less than a
hundred miles on starting, grew until
when we finally arrived at our destina-
tion, our teams had covered the distance
OF 100 miles, making the journey in Elk
days.
But as the miles had been increasing
the hop fields had been shrinking, and
the hundred acres OF hops that we ex-
bected to pick when we left home, had
dwindled down to eleven on our arrival.
We had been told that hops wilted rap
idly but were hardly prepared to find so
much ehrinkage before picking.
Saturday night found our tents all
pitched ready for work on Monday, but
II seemed we were too early, and the
hops we're not rips enough, go we did
nothing until Thursday, Even then
the owner would have much preferred
we wait a few days longer, but taking
pity on our empty purses and lunch
boxes, he allowed rs to begin.
But alas, while the erstwhile l00-acre
hop field had been fading away to the
dimensions we found it, our promised
rs to 30 days work had been keeping it
company, and when the ll'aere crop
had been harvested we had IA days
work TO our credit.
Two picking together could earn, ~
per day each, by beginning work at
daylight, and picking until almost dark,
but by the time butcher, baker and gro
ceryman were paid, we didn't have
much to come home on.
Az one man from Seattle expressed
himself, he had come over there for an
outing and was not in the least disap-
pointed, as he was out all the money
he started with. He said he didn't see
much on the way over, as he came on
the train but would look at the country
as he walked back.
We were perhaps mile from a town
consisting OF one two-story building, the
upper story used for dancing and the
lower store and postofIice. We sup
posed that the long poles which propped
II up at either side, were to keep the
wind from blowing it over, but some OF
the party were of the opinion that the
high prices which prevailed in the lower
st ry had something to do with it.
Butter was quoted at zoe per roll, and
II YOU didn't care for your coffee very
much, a quarters worth would do for
breakfast.
Fresh meat and green watermelons
were all we found at reasonable prices
all the time we were there. One hard
ly dares conjecture what the fate OF
these Hood River "babes in the hop
deld'' would have been had not our
employer furnished us with potatoes,
apples and pasture for our horses, free
OF charge.
However, the trip, while Improbable,
proved interesting i'll many ways. That
part OF the Indian reservation called the
desert, has been transformed by the
magic power OF the irrigating ditch into
most beautiful farming country. 1t
Is so level that the waste water does
not run off, and we can see acres OF
melons, immense corn, and hundreds
of acres OF alfalfa, yielding the third
crop of the year,
This desert is about IL miles across
and extends many miles on either side
dotted with numerous hay stacks, and
beautiful fields, but with few and very
poor buildings,
The Indians lease the lands for terms
of either three or five years at 90 cents
per acre for unimproved and " for cul'
tivated land One can have no surety
of an extension of lease, so 1t does moi
pay TO set out trees or improve, only to
get all one can out OF the land in the
time one has it,
In many things the Indian has proven
an apt pupil Of the white man. Many
of them are expert gamblers, and Sun
day is their day in that part of the
world for horseracing, gambling and
betting.
One Sunday night after the racing was
over with,a party of white men and In
dians crowded around an indian blanket
spread out on the gronnd, and oil
played until far into the night 1t was
wierd scene. The only light, that Of a
fire built up of sage brush, which, when
it blazed showed the little heaps Of gold
on the cards, the excited faces of the
white men, and the stolid countenances
of the Indians which remained un.