Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31
HARVESTING BERRY CRon
INDUSTRY EMPLOYS MANY
HANDS IN GREAT SOUTHWEST.
Rivalry Among the Professional and
Amateur Pickers-Busy Times in
Texas and Southern Missouri.
From the Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City Star.
Thousands of pickers are needed 70
handle the berry crop of southwestern
Missouri. Some OF these are professionals
who start in southern Texas and follow
the harvest north, just as do wheat har-
vesters Among these crack pick0rs
there is much rivalry and the names o.
Pancake Shorty. P. 8. John, Badly Ikey
Mitchell, Shakey O'Brien. 81. Joe Kid and
Sheeny Kiel are all well known for their
fast work Two OF these, who are rated
among the fastest pickers in the world.
are Holiness ministers who preach well
as pick.
Most Of the pickers. however. come from
neighboring counties or from other sec
lions o. the same county or from nearoy
cities. In many instances entire families
men, women and children-go to the
berry fields. most OF them 20 make money
bur a few to enjoy an outing and week
or more OF camp lie. During the haf-
vest season the pichers live in tents. the
tented villages with a hundred or more
Inhabitants being quite common The
price paid for picking is ~ cents quart.
which is cents a tray, or rs cents
crate, a crate consisting OF twenty-four
quarts.
Strawberry Money.
The pickers are paid as they deliver the
boxes at the field sheds, the banker
handing out the strawberry money
aluminium checks, redeemab!e at their
face value at almost any store or at the
local bank. A good picker will earn
from So to 81 day, for the work is not
difficult as Il seems. the fields being
clean and sandy, gravelly or rocky. There
is also less vine growth and proportion
ately more berries than is seen on the
ordinary black land. The pickeTs are
not permitted to go where they please.
but must take the row as directed by the
field bosses.
Only those who have visited the straw
berry producing counties during the har-
vest season, which usually opens about
May 10 and continues from two to four
weeks, can have any correct idea AS to
the Importance of the industry. A
visitor arriving in one Of the towns of
the berry section say. for instance. Sar-
coke. in the late afternoon or early
evening Of busy day sees much TO re-
mind him OF street fair or circus.
Berrypickers at Play.
Crowds swarm the streets. Refresh
ment stands, with a supply OF pop"
lemonade, hamburger" peanuts and pie
are doing a rushing business. A merry
go-round is taking in the pickers' nickels
and shooting galleries and cane racks are
being operated with success 10 the owr-
at rest and recreation after the day $
work for them IS done.
But over at the long loading sheds it
is different. There at shutdown the work
is jst getting fairly nder way. From
every direction come wagonioads of ber-
ries until near the unloading platforms
long lines are formed as the wagons await
their turns. It is no uncommon sight "a
see twenty or thirty wagons in line at 10
O'clock at night, and il may be far pas,
II, idnight before the last Of the re .rgera-
tor and rentilator fruit cars have been
iced and loaded and the berry train is
ready TO start its fast run for the
north. All this time the secretary ami
have been busy recepting
for each delivery and writing up the
books. So perfect is the system that
ga ch crata OF berries may be traced from
the field where picked to the purchaser At
some far distant point.
Some men are SO optimistic that thsy
think nobody knows it's their last years
straw hat.-Ohio State Journal.