The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-03-25
A JOB AT WALNUT PICKING.
Enlightening of a Hobo Who Was
Looking for Easy Work.


"Out on the Pacific coast" said
the hobo, they've got a way of put
ting up signs in the employment Of
fees that are calculated to deceive
the wisest guy. They read some
thing like this: If you can eat
oranges you can pick them. Men
wanted to do both; or, WY not
camp out in the walnut groves?
You don't have to climb the trees,
but for every sack you gather from
the ground you get 40 cents; or yet
again, $3.50 a day picking grapes,
and board and lodging free. It's a
picnic
Sounds nice, doesn't it? | might
have known better, but | fell for the
walnut grove sign. | was in Los
Angeles, broke. The idea of stroll
ing under the trees and gathering
nuts at 40 cents a sack seemed
mighty good to me and | had an
agent ship me to a desolate little
way station called Rivera.
Following instructions | tramp
ed along a muddy road until a wal
nut plantation came in sight At
the house they told me that they
guessed | wanted the next ranch,
which remark was listlessly repeat
ed at six different places. At last,
however, / found the planter who
needed men. He grunted when !
explained, and pointed at his wal
nut grove.
I p,,fe r;nlya1
up he said. Don't you dare to
climb the trees or you'll break the
limbs, but gather all you can from
the ground Strip the husks off and
I'll pay you 40 cents for every sack
of clean nuts and only charge you
81 a day for board
Il began to understand the graft,
work. The only walnuts l had seen
up to that time had been those in
brown shells; but l soon discovered
that nature encases them in fieshy
husk. The latter has to be remov-
ed, and if the nut has lain on the
ground long enough for it to rot so
much the better.
covered with an acid juice, which
stains them brown. This walnut
juice was used by the Indians to
stain the skins of white children
they had captured and intended to
adopt. 1t is said that application
for three months was sufficient to
produce fast color for seven years.
That may or may not be a lie, but
know that it was six months before
! got rid of all traces of the juice.
There were other drawbacks to
my walnut picking job. Merely
bending over to gather nuts from
the ground may not sound like
strenuous work. but when it is kept
up for ten hours il is no joke. A
new set of muscles are put under
strain, and at the end of the day
you feel as if you had been kicked
and beaten all over. My bed was
the softest board in an outhouse,
which didn't improve matters.
Then there was the matter of
pay. soon found that only by
working my head off could | get
together three sacks of walnuts a
day. Figure it out. Three sacks
at 40 cents, $1.2O, less 81 for board.
was really working for 20 cents a
day, and sometimes | fell far short
Of my three sacks and was actually
in debt to my employer.
II kept at it for three weeks.
Then | asked for my account and
found that / owed that walnut
grower 10 cents. ] told him that
would work it out, and turned away.
But | didn't walk back to the
walnut grove. | strolled out along
the open road and have gone on
strolling ever since. Yes, / beat
him out of his dime and I'm proud
of it, 1t serves to prevent me from
yielding to the temptation of work.
ing for money again. If ever
should earn anything, you see, I'd
have to return that 10 cents first
thing, and you know how hard it is
to pay a dead debt"