The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-11-09
vERMoNT's FERN INDUSTRY
Profitable Business in the TWO South
ern Counties.


counties in Vermont a unique and
profitable industry is carried on dur
ing the months of September and
October. Each year from a section
scarcely 10 miles square is shipped
most OF this country's supply of fancy
and dagger or Christmas ferns. The
towns of Somerset, Searsburg, Wood
ford and Glastonbury have combin-
ed population of about five hundred,
but during the fern-picking season
this number is greatly augmented by
newcomers who live in abandoned
lumbermen's shanties and tents.
While the season is on nearly every.
one in the towns mentioned works
from sunrise till dark picking the
ferns that find their way to nearly
every city in the United States. Some
idea of the importance of this indus.
try may be gained from the fact that
from Bennington, Wilmington and a
few minor points are shipped annual
~ two hundred million fancy ferns.
which represent a retail value OF over
five hundred thousand dollars.
No monopoly is more complete than
the fern-picking industry. Three men
control so per cent of the output
They supply the piekers with baskets
and crates. buy the ferns, store them
and sell them through the whole
year The country where the fancy
ferns are picked is one of the most
beautiful sections of New England.
From the highways in Woodford,
three thousand feet above sea level.
looking as far as the eye can reach,
one sees only forest-clad hills and val
legs typical spruce and hardwood Of
Vermont, and underneath this forest
mantle are billions upon billions of
fancy ferns which are never picked.
Some idea of the countless numbers
growing in this section may be had
from the fact that Earl and Harry
Bishop, picking twenty thousand
daily, work practically the whole sea
son within one-half mile OF their
home
The fancy fern is the one picked
most, and must be in good condition
and 10 inches long to be accepted by
from 10 to II inches long. They are
picked and tied in punches of p. for
which the picker receives one cent,
This seemed to me to be incredibly
small pay, but | found that the aver
age picker earns about four dollars
per day. One pi ker ! met said that
his best days work had been $50
lunches, His average, however. was
400. A, little rapid mental calculation
showed me that picking ESQ punches
meant 1900 ferns picked and tied %
in bunch, all between sunrise and
sunset.
II is interesting to watch the eX-
perienced picker tie the punches. A
ball OF Irvine is carried in cloth sack
At the side and as the % ferns are
gathered the picker catches the end
Of the twiie and rapidly winds it
three or four times around the stems
then bringing 1t up between them a
couple of times and breaking IT, No
knot is tied and the whole operation
takes only few seconds Each pick
er carries basket. similar TO a com
mon clothes basket, but a little deep
err and with straighter sides. As
they are tied, the lunches are placed
in this and covered with spruce or
hemlock branches to keep them moist
and cool, When it is full stout cord
is passed through the handles of the
basket and over the top TO hold them
securely One basket holds about
400 punches. or a days picking.
Driving along the State highway be.
tween Wilmington and Bennington.
one sees the eyerpresent pile of fern
boxes in front of each house, tent and
shanty These are storage boxes,
and hold 240 lunches, or 5000 ferns.
Each days picking is packed in these
boxes at night, sphagnum moss being
used in packing. That night or the
next morning the boxes are collected
by team or motor truck and taken to
the nearest shipping station. Fifty
boxes, containing 100000 ferns, is
considered load for double team.
In order to avoid unnecessary loss
the ferns are rushed to cold storage
as soon as possible after picking
From Bennington carload is shipped
by express each day During the bus.
lest part of the season f. S. Shaw,
one of the three fern barons," sends
motor truck load each night to Viii
mington to the storage plant at.
Springfield, Mass, a distance OF a0'
miles. He also makes large express
shipments. Most Of the ferns are
sold from storage, but some are sent
from the picking regions
The day visited Mr. Shaw he made
shipments to such widely points as
New Orleans, Denver, Detroit, and
Pittsburg. Before the war shipments
we're made TO European countries,
but these are now cut off.
Practically all cities, demand the
fancy ferns. Only a few the most
notable Of which is Boston. ask for
the daggers. The ferns are not ship
ped from storage in the wooden box
es, but are repacked in pasteboard
boxes holding 5000 each. These are
purchased by whole sale florists end
distributed by them to the retail for
lists, who use them for decorations.
When asked il there is any loss In
cold storage, Mr. Shaw said they are
kept at a temperature of % degrees.
and that allowance is made for loss
OF 20 per cent. More ferns are sold
for Easter than any other day, with
\ L.. IL NJ.