Strawberries 



(Continued from page 7} 



charge of 25 to 30 pickers. His job 

 is to instruct and supervise the pickers, 

 see that they bring in only ripe, sound 

 fruit, leaving the calyx and about I/2" 

 of stem on the berry to prevent spoil- 

 age. He must keep the pickers on 

 their rows, make them pick rows clean, 

 and use his pan grader frequently to 

 control the kind of fruit workers put 

 into the bo.xes. Some growers such as 

 Boland carefully pan grade the berries 

 in the packing shed. Others pack and 

 market direct from the field, depend 

 on the row bosses and pickers to main- 

 tain their quality. Pan grading in the 

 shed obviously results in a higher quali- 

 ty and more uniform pack but this 

 method is more expensive. 



Each picker is given a" tray contain- 

 ing six quart boxes. On hands and 

 knees, the pickers move down the rows 

 pinching off the stems containing the 

 ripe berries. When all six boxes are 

 filled, the trays are carried to the field 

 packing shed where the picker collects 

 15c in cash, deposits the berries, grabs 

 an empty tray and hurries back to his 

 cow. 



3 Trays an Hour 



A fast picker will bring in three 

 trays full of berries an hour to net him 

 45 cents. Working from 4:30 to 11 

 A.M., Lester Burford, a 26-year old 

 picker from White county, Arkansas, 

 brought in 22 trays to net $3.30 for his 

 morning's work. Burford and his 

 brother are professionals and follow 

 the business nine months a year. They 

 start picking strawberries and other 

 fruits in Florida in December, stay 

 there during the winter until April 

 when the Louisiana strawberry harvest 

 begins. They follow the strawberry 

 harvest north into Tennessee, Ken- 

 tucky, and on to Anna and Edgar 

 county districts in Illinois. 



From Illinois the Burfords and 25 to 

 30 other pickers from the same county 

 in Arkansas were planning to go to 

 Ohio to pick cherries, or to Michigan 

 to help harvest strawberries, cherries, 

 raspberries, blackberries, peaches and 

 apples. In the fall Lester Burford said 

 he would be back in southeastern Ar- 

 kansas picking cotton, and when winter 

 comes he will start the trek back to 

 Florida. He has a wife and two chil- 

 dren in Arkansas. Sometimes they travel 

 with him sleeping in tents or sheds 

 close to the berry patch or orchards. He 

 plans to buy a litle place of his own 

 some day and raise fruits and poultry. 



The pickers for the most part are 

 honest, law-abiding people, proud of 

 the fact that they are not on relief. 

 Their incomes are low, yet in a good 

 year, Burford said he would net S400 

 over living expenses. He has been pick- 



CHAMPS IN LIVESTOCK 



Newcnk high achool, Kendall county, 

 was represented at the annual judging 

 contests for Tocotional agriculture stu- 

 dents at the U. of I. for the first time this 

 year. Result: First place in livestock 

 judging. ludges are, Howard Hextel. 

 Wallace Galiger and Robert Anderson. 

 Coach: Robert Howey. 



State Fair, Aug. 12-20 



Going to the Illinois State Fair? The 

 dates are August 12 to 20. When you 

 are there, make the lAA-Farm Bureau 

 tent your headquarters. It"s located just 

 north of the postoffice, right in the cen- 

 ter of activities. Stop in as soon as you 

 arrive and check your lunch basket and 

 bundles. There'll be plenty of cool 

 drinking water and lots of chairs and 

 tables. Plan to meet your friends there. 

 Get acquainted with other Farm Bureau 

 members from all parts of the state. 



The committee in charge is planning 

 a special exhibit that will amuse you. 

 All they will tell now is that it will 

 be a "live" show. Don't miss it. 



ing fruit since he was seven years old. 



Buck Hance, his wife, nine children 

 and one grandchild were camping 

 along the road east of Paris. All were 

 working in the berry patches except 

 the wife and two small children. Some 

 days the family will bring in $12 to 

 $15. They have no permanent home 

 but live in tents the year 'round be- 

 tween Plant City, Florida, and Michi- 

 gan. 



In Edgar county possibly two-thirds 

 of the harvest help is local. They come 

 from Paris, small mining towns close 

 by, and from Terre Haute, Indiana. 

 Many are school children out to earn 

 a few dollars of spending money. For 

 10 cents a round trip they get a truck 

 ride from town to the berry farms. 

 How the berries are graded, packed, 

 and marketed through the cooperative 

 packing shed is another story. It will 

 appear in the next issue. 



/<^urJ YOUTH 



Strip mining and its effect on the future 

 of Grundy county residents is one of the 

 chief projects of Grundy County Rural 

 Youth this summer. Raymond Hanley, presi- 

 dent says they plan to visit the strip mines 

 and then follow up with discussion and 

 study in their September meeting. 



"Go-Getters!" — Sports Festival Folk 



Dancers from Champaign county held their 

 first practice session June 22 says Mary 

 Margaret Corum, president. Clay county 

 reports a jump from 20 to 80 members 

 since January. The new moving picture 

 machine and electric phonograph was ini- 

 tiated at their June 22 meeting. lAA 

 sound picture "Shoulder and Shoulder" was 

 a part of the program. 



A "pot luck jamboree" with Mr. Randall, 



Univ. of 111. as speaker for the June meet- 

 ing, was something new for Fayette County 

 according to John Quade, president. 



Softball is going full swing in McHenry 



county with 8 boys' and 4 girls' teams in 

 action. "All stars" from these plan to 

 enter the Illinois Farm Sports Festival. 

 Rural Youth are sponsoring a rural county 

 chorus with rehearsals starting in some 

 local clubs now, says John Schuett, presi- 

 dent, McHenry County Rural Youth. 



Eight counties have reported that they 



will have Rural Youth delegates at the 

 Mid-West Rural Youth Conference July 

 17, East Lansing, Michigan. 



There's a new "Mrs." in the Randolph 

 County Rural Youth Group. Dieterick 

 Rieckenberp and Melba Troue were married 

 on June .Srd. 



Roscoe Bennett, Adams County, says: "For 

 our June meeting, June 2"', we are going 

 to have a swimming party at Indian Mounds 

 Pool, Quincy, with a weiner roast and songs 

 around the fire, following the big Duck 

 in the pool. , 



New Presidents: Dale Sullivan for Mason 

 County Rural Youth; Lola Honeywell, Iro- 

 quois; Claude White, Williamson; Helen 

 Conor, Macon; and Arthur Maseley, Kane. 



A. E. Richardson, manager of 111. Agr. 

 Mutual Ins. Co. was main speaker at Ef- 

 fingham's June Banquet. Wabash County 

 has 36 new members. Average attendance 

 at Wayne County meetings is 70. 



Boone County boys and girls are contest- 

 ing a picture slogan contest and losers will 

 work at a weiner roast. They plan a hobby 

 show in August. 



Shelby county's group is busy. They had 



a talk by Rev. Leach, heard a good short 

 playlet, and plan to go to New Salem 

 State Park on the 6th of August. Fifteen 

 attended the Macon County Banquet on 

 June n. 



if, • 



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June 16 was Hancock County's Annual 

 Banquet night and the 26th they will "move 

 along" at the new roller skating rink on 

 the river. 



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