THE HARVEST.
Thepicking of berries commences about the first of September. They should be picked as soon as the greater part have put on a good, fair color. The great mistake in the past has been in allowing the berries to become over size. The trade has demandeddarkberries, which made the Early Blacks so popular; but all that was gained incolorwas at the sacrifice of the keeping quality, to the injury of the grower and dealer.
This is becoming so well recognized that “pick early” comes with the greater emphasis from all the larger dealers, who, by sad experiences, have become more interested in this particular feature than the grower, who, gathering his harvest of beautiful fruit, has also immediately gathered in the skekels, recognizing that “the best time to sell is right off the bog.” Thus has he “Sown to the Wind;” and while disaster has been delayed, its coming is manifest in the experience of the past season, when in some cases the crop has not paid expenses.
An old receipt, “How to cook a hare,” began, “First catch the hare.” We have endeavored to tell you how to get the crop; and now, supposing you have this, we will give you an idea of how it is gathered, so far as may be of interest to the uninitiated: Lines are drawn across the bog, from eight to twenty feet apart, as a guide for keeping in place those pickerswho incline otherwise to the right or left, as “spots” thick or thin allure or repel them in their eagerness “to fill the measure.” Then, placing as many pickers within the lines as can have sufficient “elbow room,” picking length-wise, they proceed to pick.
An overseer is needed for every twenty-five pickers, to see that the work is properly done, each in his or her own place, and that all are picking clean from the vines, and from the “bottom;” that is, picking from the ground all scattering berries.
Measures holding six quarts are the most convenient size, and the usual price is ten cents per measure, each picker using generally two measures and so saving time, as the berries must be carried to the “Tally.” The pickers are all known by numbers, and as they go to empty their measure they report “Number (5),” one or two measures, as the case may be, the Tally repeating each number and tally, as a precaution against mistakes.
On some bogs checks are given thus: “Good for ten cents, South Sea Co., F. Crocker, Hyannis, Treas.;” and such checks are current coin during “Cranberry time” for supplies at the stores.
Again, others provide themselves with a large amount of dimes, and so “pay off” as each measure is delivered. Berries, after being picked, should be put in slatted boxes holding about one bushel each, as being the most convenient size to handle, and then put away for at least twenty-four hours to cool off, as prevention against the almost immediate process of decay if this is not done.