Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-23

the most. is remarkably good pay. De-
scending to the realm OF cold hard 1g-
ures, that means that for sfx-dAy week
and twelve-hour day. which can DO
ceiye pay at the rate OF 4 oents IN hour
Four cents for STOPPING low whole
hour picking. picking, pick.ng. Damp
ness, mosquitoes. orampies' ano way
and every where. berries. And ar the
end of sixty weary never-endine min
utes she may have earned = cents. Acd
be il remembered. IL Is not for candy &C
the corner grocery, not for q cnensneo
doll or ball seen in a toyshop window.
but for the family trove-
The production OF cranberres 10 con~
fined practically TO three states-Wfecon~
sin Massachusetts, and New Jersey: Inc
berries grow IN a few other localities.
but the output Is never more than
enough for local consumption. IL sum
Gent even for that The average an
nual commercial output Is about oooUoV
bushels, or approximately 65o0.00o pecks
eight quart pecks-
From those figures II can readily DO
realized that harvesting cranberr1es IL
a gigantic task. A good days work Tor
papa. and perhaps for mamma. too.would
be not more than twenty pecks. and per-
haps but seventeen. From that number
IL would decrease. according 10 the age
and ability OF the picker. until when
little Theresa was reached the limit
would not be but three pecks And yet.
twenty-four quarts OF berries in one day
is more than the average energetic boy
would want to pick for pleasure. let
alone a girl of five
The output per bog depends more upon
climatic conditions. soil and the care
given the plants, than upon anything
else. In this. as in practically all other
agricultural pursuits. intensive cultiva-
ton has been brought to bear. Under
normal conditions the output Will range
from 100 TO 200 bushels per acre, which
is considered a good averr.ge. Under In
tensive cultivation. however. the average
has been brought up as high as SOD
bushels
Rogs vary In size, due TO the fact that
cranberries require conditions best pro-
vided by nature itself. and are found In
localities naturally adapted to their sue
cessful growth. The cranberry industry
of Massachusetts and New Jersey, the
locality in which the cranberry was frst
cultivated. is slightly different from the
industry OF Wisconsin. The winter sea-
son comes much sooner in Wisconsin.
and consequently necessitates earlier
picking than in the east Then. too. use
is made of artificial waterways. which
can be turned into the boys when desir-
ed. thereby doing away with the uncer-
tainty of rain.
Massachusetts has the largest bog in
existence This is in Nantucket county
and contains $50 acres. That means that
with an output or ~ pusnele, OF o0
peck.. per acre. the output of this one
bog amounts to 100000 pecks.
-
And Theresa?
OF course Theresa is merely an az
ample. One case. seen by the investi-
gators of the national child labor COM
mittee and visualized. But there are
those 600 children. all under ten. that
were found in six New Jersey boys alone
They are living types-types which may
be found in practically every bog In the
United States. They are there in large
numbers, wan and overworked. from tho
time the season opens until the marshes
are denuded of every scarlet. sour berry.
There are many little Theresas with
matted hair and grimy faces Some are
pickers others bear the filled boxes to the
bushelman, but all grow very. very tired
Yet In land where millions OF mouths
water Thanksgiving day for cranberry
sauce there must be many hands to pick
the berries. And where there are dollars
to be earned there will always be fathers
waiting to get them, which leaves poor
little Theresa between the devil and the
deep blue sea-between a hungry nation
and a greedy parent.
BY this time the berries have all been
picked and stored-even marketed. Their
esa has returned to Philadelp hia and
school. But her tiny hands still bear the
scars of scratches and in her heart Is still
the memory of those hours OF bitter toll.
It's too late this year to save Theresa
either the scratches or the work But IL
isn't too late to think Of her on Thanks
giving day. when the red, sour sauce
comes on the table with the crisp brown
turkey, and to include her In the spirit
of thankfulness for blessings received