78 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the ripened fruit. How well I remember our first crop of cher- 

 ries. Mr. Rose said to me one day, "Get a little pail and we 

 will pick our crop of cherries." There were less than four quarts 

 <>!' ili< in. but we were as proud of that crop as we ever were of 

 thousands of crates in later years. To a woman who wishes to take 

 up this work or to one who by circumstances seem compelled to do 

 something of this kind, by being- left with a little family and perhaps 

 a few acres of laud or a life insurance with which to buy a little farm, 

 T would say by all means, plant a few trees, not too close together 

 and between the rows of trees, plant some variety of berries that will 

 come into bearing early and help pay the expenses of growing the 

 trees and of the family. 



It may be a little hard at times, but wouldn't it be harder to live 

 in town in a stuffy tenant house and take in washing or sewing and 

 live up the insurance, besides depriving the children of the fresh air 

 and the pleasure they would get from helping mama, until they will 

 become a part of your work and will lend a hand to help put one of 

 them through agricultural college and then come home fully equipped 

 to take the care from Mother's shoulders? 



A woman can plant a row of trees just as straight as a man. There 

 are trees in our orchard that I helped to plant 19 years ago, and they 

 seem to grow and bear just as well as those planted by the men. A 

 woman can spray if necessary. My experience has been that there is 

 no part of the fruit work that a woman can not do if she will study 

 and use good sound sense, unless it is to plow, but I think she can 

 hire that done all right. 



A wife should familiarize herself with her husband's' work so that 

 she can direct it, at any time, during his absence, and then if she is 

 left alone she won't be handicapped by having her help say, "She don't 

 know anything about it, she won't know whether it is done right or 

 not." I have never had a man or woman refuse to do the work as 

 I told them to. Mr. Rose has been gone a great deal of the time during 

 the growing of our orchard. At first he would dictate and I would 

 jot down a routine of work to be followed during his absence but 

 that has become unnecessary years ago, as we have had the same fore- 

 man for a number of years and he understands his part of the work as 

 well as I do mine. 



I have had help in the house most of the time, which has left me 

 quite free to follow our chosen profession, Horticulture. Of late years 

 most of my work has been in overseeing the pickers or packers. I 

 have handled white labor in Indiana in raspberry work. I have as- 

 sisted Mr. Rose in Alabama with his negro laborers, in the straw- 

 berry fields, and of course nothing but white labor on our farm up 

 north. Some women may say, I can't handle the laborers; perhaps 

 a few suggestions here in regard to this part of the work might help 

 some of the wives of these young students, to have more confidence 

 in their ability to help their husbands in their life work. I keep my 

 help in the house from one to three years. When I hire my house- 

 keeper I tell her just what I want her to do and what I will pay 

 for the work and there is never any trouble over the work or wages. 

 Always direct the work in the house or packing house. 



