The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-06-01
II BERRIES TO
The POUND BOX
FINE FRUIT AT WHITE SALMON
Peek Ranch Makes Splendid Record
--Byrkett's Returns are $3.50 "A
Crate.

BY staff Correspondent.
White Salmon, Wash, May 30. E.
NJ. Peck who has two and one-half
acres in strawberries on the White
Salmon bluff, packed on Thursday of
! last week over 40 crates of three-tier
berries, and on Friday five crates
that averaged Is berries to the box.
The prize box took Just II. The ber-
ries are on new land aud ms is known
in this section no water is used.
| The same conditions prevail all
through that section. W. j. Fur
guson, p. S. Peck, f. S. Peck, Mr..
/ Umsaker, and in fact all are enjoying
the same results, but none have been
able to make the splendid showing SO
far made by T.. NJ Peck. The size Of
his berries are causrc admiration
on all sides, aud olG.tupt berry grow
Crs make The lTip tC sc the patch that
is turning aut such EltHt big beauties.
/ The GMcici is under Obligations to
Mr.. and Mrs. l.. Nj. Peck for four
boxes of thefo berries, the finest that
have been seca 30 fer this year. Five
weeks ago Mr.. Icck moved on his ranch
about a mile ard ht llom the city,
in the Cock settlement, lie has tow
and half acres IN berries, and this
| year is the first crop,
Byrkett's Big Returns.
Already the end Of the berry season
can be noted. There are many of the
early shippers who are gradually drop
/ ing out aud the IiCkcrs are leaving
/ 20 fields that have been well worked
| fer the new fields back on the hill
Another week and the end Will be Il
fact. 1t Las been great year for the
| growers Of the White Salmon country
|u,d the best of good cheer prevails
! q :OughOUt. Men with two acres and
less will derive over thousand dollars
! from their berries TIE year previous
was not up to tue standard and all are
glad that this year has been so profit
able. Judge ByrkCtt stands at the
head of the list. He has received S4. 30
per crate for over 400 crates All over
the valley the same condition prevails.
In some instances the berries have
fallen off in quality owing to the age
of the plants, This year will wind up
many of the patches, but next year
| there will he so many new patches that
if conditions are favorable another
record breaking crop should he gath
cred.
Girl Pickers in Mems Pants.
S. G. Ziegler has solved the labor
question. He has the prize berry
pickers for the country. lie also has
the best looking and most attractive
"gang" in the valley. Last year he
decided that no more women, with
long skirts could enter his patches
When he made his contract this year
with his - girls it was stipulated that
they would have to wear trousers,
The young ladies, all from Mount
Pleasant, demurred at first, but after
consideration Of the propriety in wear
ing real mans pants, decided they
would don the costume, providing that
no men should be allowed to work in
the patches. This was agreed to and
the girls came decke1 in mans attire
for the task A iollier and happier
crowd of girls never entered berry
patch Mr.. and Mrs. Iiegler have
thrown open their large home to the
privilege of the girls, and merry
time they all have.
, One little brunette remarked to me
last week; 81 never felt 50 much like
a man in my life; | always did want tc
be man, and am sorry that the sea.
son is drawing to close. We have
had royal treatment and have had 4
jolly time,
70 remember the occasion the girls
sent for Milton Helm, IA photographer
of Hood River, and group picture
= was taken. 1t is needless to say the
girls will refer to it many times lateI
and recall the time when they wore
J pants and had the greatest time o
, their life.
Pickers We're Hard to Get.
There is an absolute scarcity of ber
ry pickers and packers and all effort
| to secure additional help have failed
1t is estimated that the Indians caml
from the Yakima country $500 strong
and the Japs furnished nearly 800, ant
$500 whites make up the great arm.
that is gathering berries in the HOOt
River and White Salmon valleys. Man,
of the growers on the Washington sid
of the river have been seriously handi
capped, owing to the scarcity Of pick
ers
Red Skin Pickers the Best.
The squaw still holds her place a
) the champion berry picker. The beg
wages so far have been made by tn
dusky Hiawatha. The Japs do no
+ prove to be as good as it was suppose
r they would. They are plodders, faith
:. full in the performance Of the wor
y allotted, but they lack the deftness 0
: the Indian maidon.
{ The bucks are craking good pres
= agents for the squaws. That Is, the
o ride up and down the valleys in ga
regalia. proclaiming the wonderful Der
e ry-picking abilities of "me squaw.
Y Several Of the growers complain bit
| terIy of the manner in which some q
n the growers strive to influence tn
k bucks to get more help from othc
b. growers The berry picker is "A mos
important factor in the community a
2 this time
Jap's Strike was Short.
TIE Japs at the ranch Of G. i
Moore went on a strike, Wednesday c
last week. The word passed up an
down the valley that pitched battl
was being waged between the Jap
and the Indians, but the troubI
|, proved t. amount to nothing othe
than difference between the employ
er and the boss Jap. The little swarth
= Yankees Of the East struck and lei
the patches. Immediately after
settlement. they took the first trai
lie for Portland. declaring that railroa
work was their preference, and ths
they would rather 90 back to the Ian
of the Chrysanthemum and take up th
2. fight for their mother country than I
r., pick berries. The bone of the conteI
5f tion was over the one-quarter of
pf cent per box to be paid at the close