Picking and Packing 167 



bered conspicuously with painted stakes, so that the 

 picker may readily find her row when she returns. Pro- 

 vide each picker with a small white stake, with her num- 

 ber stamped on it, to mark the point where she leaves off 

 picking. When it is desirable to keep the picker at 

 work without interruption, she calls "Box," when her 

 carrier is full, and a man gives her a ticket and takes it 

 to the shed. 



ACCOUNTS WITH PICKERS 



Four methods of keeping accounts with pickers are 

 used; cash at picking time, day-book records, redeem- 

 able checks and redeemable punch tickets. 



Cash, day-book records and checks. 



Very few growers pay cash to pickers as they bring in 

 the berries; this is inconvenient and the pickers may 

 lose their money, but there is no chance for mistakes or 

 forgery of checks. A few growers pay by the hour. Day 

 book accounting is practicable only when there are less 

 than fifteen pickers. A record is kept of each picker by 

 the tally man at the packing shed, thus : 



Sam Jones 



May 5 65 quarts. 



May 6 54 quarts. 



May 7 80 quarts. 



The pickers are paid once a week, or at the end of the 

 season. This saves much time, but disputes may arise 

 as to the accuracy of the records. 



Small cards or checks have been used more than any 

 other method of accounting but are now superseded by 

 punch tickets, except when the number of pickers is less 



