The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-07-02

llsolated patches, small in area, may
have some trouble in securing proper
help for picking.
The method used in handling pickers
by one of the most successful logan
berry growers in the state may be of
interest to our readers. This man has
S5 acres and estimates that it is neees-
sary to have 400 to 500 pickers to
handle the crop. He is putting in a
model camp ground with electric lights
and sanitary surroundings. He also
provides watchman both night and day.
Under his present arrangement he is
able to secure more pickers than he
can use.
| He requires pickers to sign written
contract that they will stay with him
throughout the season and will work
eight hours a day if required. He
Il pays the pickers one cent a hallock, but
at the end of the season gives bonus
of one fourth cent hallock to all those
who have done first class work.
He keeps field inspectors that he
pays $500 a day. 1t is the duty of
these inspectors to see that the work is
carefully done. They also keep check
of the men and the amount of fruit
which each picker handles. If it is ne
cessary for an inspector to speak more
than three times to any picker because
of carelessness or unsatisfactory work,
the picker is discharged. Each picker
has small book in which he keeps
account of the number of hallocks
picked. This is checked on tally sheet
kept by the owner. The daily balance
is drawn each night. BY such system
it is possible to pay off the four or
five hundred pickers within two hours.
Methods of a Grower.
This grower provides canvas rest
rooms. Canvas is stretched SO as to
provide shade. This is very necessary
for the women pickers and where whole
families come there is place for the
children to play.
He sees to it that store keepers in
the vicinity charge no extra prices to
pckers for food products, The same
is true of milk or any food product the
campers need
The fruit is picked for canning pur
poses and shipped in cattle ears, the
shipping being done at night. The
: fruit then arrives in the morning II
Portland in very good condition. Oh
, course, it is necessary that the cattle
} cars be very thoroughly cleaned before
loading but these cars afford ventila
tion that it is impossible to secure will
ordinary ears.
There are two points which shoult
, be observed by the pickers. The frs
is that the berry is not pulled straigh
out from the stem, but should be picked
: with slight twist of the wrist, whicl
: pulls the berry to one side. In doinl
this less pressure is used and there
= less tendency to break off stems ant
I LEAVES with the fruit. Second, man.
S pickers have a tendency to hold to-
9 many berries at one time in the hand
t The berry will soften and melt dow
$ very rapidly when held in the warn
0 hand. Again the berries are so soft tina
g where a number are held together il
> the hand they bruise easily and the juic
S begins to leak. These bruised berrle
S are very unattractive and give tn
j. carrier mussy appearance. In som
n cases we found the berries arrived a
n some of the evaporators in such mis-
y |erable condition that we realized a
e once that something was wrong in tn
y methods of field handling 1nvestig'
t, ltions showed that the time of pickln
It was a very important factor; that tn
@ best berries which were arriving at tn
d evaporators were picked in the COZ
l. of the day. Tt is the general practic
e Of the larger growers to pick part
t. their field every day, working ever
g day until noon, while in some cast
s, they continue and work until four
# 1.-THE afternoon. Others pick every thil