Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-10-03
MODERN CRAM
BERRY RAISING
Modern Methods on Modern
Cranberry Marshes.

Cranberry Marshes.
Although we are situated in tht
heart of the cranberry region, there
are very few people who have visited
modern marsh during the harvest
ing season of this much sought fol
berry. The writer had the pleasure
of visiting for two days at the marsf
of the Arpin Cranberry Co., about
nineteen miles south of this city, anc
the trip was a pleasant one as well az
educational.
During the busy season of picking
time, the marsh and its surroundings
takes on the aspect of an extremely
busy,little city. All day long from early
morning till sundown all is hustle anC
hustle and the workers laugh, sins
and joke with one another like 9
happy family.
At $50 in the morning people get
up and breakfast begins at six. The
families all board themselves in
shanties provided for them by the
marsh owners. Single men, such as
rakers and teamsters. are boarded by
themselves and the various foremen,
timekeeper, storekeeper, etc. board at
another boarding place. Allow me to
mention in this connection that the
board furnished to all is exceedingly
good and plentiful and is handled
with as much cleanliness and care in
its preparation as i'm any household i'm
the city.
Just beyond the little settlement of
boarding houses, store, sleeping shan
ties, etc. is the Indian camping
grounds, for Indians take an active
part and are a principal factor on the
cranberry marsh. The squaws and
older children are engaged in picking
by hand, while the men or 'bucks"
as they are termed, do the raking.
Very few ''bucke" are good workers
but the majority confirm the tradit-
ions relative to the Indian, and work
only enough to earn immediate
wants and if he can get alcohol or
whisky, work has no place i'm his
routine.
The Indian camp is picturesque
scene, with the various colored blan-
kets and trappings hanging about in
the trees, the smoke pouring forth
from the wigwam tents and the little
papooses and inevitable Indian ours
playing about in the bushes The
Oldest of the squaws constitute the
camp guard, as it were, as they do
not pick berries on the marsh but
stay in camp attending to the few
household duties and looking out for
the frolicsolne papooseS.
Out on the marsh the pickers are in
one crowd while the rakers form a
party of their own. A foreman has
charge of each party and sees that the
berries are picked clean, checks the
boxes giving each picker ticket for
each bushel picked and oversees the
work of his crew in general. The
berries are picked in boxes which
hold a bushel each. These boxes are
carried when full to the roadway
nearest the pickers and are loaded on
wagons which take them to the store
house where they are emptied into
boxes of different shape, where they
ripen to better advantage.
Later in the season, when the
berries are all picked and in the store
house, the work of cleaning and sort
ing them is begun. First they are
put through tanning mill which
blows out all the grass, leaves etc.
and then they drop into a grader
which asserts them as to size, then
all the spoiled, frozen, or soft ones
are taken out and they are put into
barrels ready for shipment.
The system of waterways on a
modern marsh is a scientific piece of
work. The bitches are so arranged that
when there is danger of frost the wa
ter that is stored in the large reservoirs
at the head of the marsh, can be let
onto the berries covering them COM
pletely thus preventing them from
being frozen. In the morning few
flood gates are opened and the water
runs off the marsh and is carried away
in the bitches leaving the berries
high and dry again. On the marsh
mentioned above the water system is
so well arranged that the whole marsh
can be fully covered in one hour and
drained in about the same time.
For amusement in the evenings and
on Sundays a dance hall has been
provided i'm which all who desire land
that comprises nearly all may dance.
Week day evenings they dance from
eight till ten O'CLOCK and on Saturday
evening they dance till twelve. A
violin or an accordian, accompanied
by mouth organ is considered good
enough for these dances, and in fact
is alright as the writer can testify,
having danced a few sets himself just
to enter into the spirit of things
while there. The cut of your frock
or the lack of shine on your 'Ebro.
gans. ''cutS no ice'' at the ball on
the marsh, all you need is the spirit
and the willingness, and good time
is assured