TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. 



271 



have to get in such a stooping position. 'J'he ])ickinG;' is done 

 in a much nicer manner, which makes it more comfortable 

 and satisfactory. We employ mostly girls and women, and 

 find them more satisfactory than other help. Sometimes we 

 are forced to use men on pay day, but except in some of the 

 heavy work and in cleaning up the plantation we never have 

 found that kind of labor as profitable as the use of women 

 and girls. 



In picking we have adopted this practice. Each picker 

 has a card, and when the picker has picked a certain number 

 of quarts that card is punched. The foreman has a card, and 

 every picker has a card, and when the picker comes in the two 

 are put together and punched, so that both agree perfectly. 

 We have not employed ma.ny boys to do picking, because un- 

 less you watch them pretty close, if there is a place to go 

 swimming in the neighborhood you will be apt to find more 

 boys in the river than you will in the field. They are not to 

 be depended upon. 



In picking we have used the Climax baskets. The pick- 

 ers strap them in front of them, so that they are able to use 

 both hands. We urge the pickers, as soon as they pick 

 through their row, to leave their baskets in the shade. It is 

 quite a little chore for them to take it in, and we are rather in- 

 clined to favor paying for a collector to go through and make 

 the collections, 



As to the question of yield, the climatic conditions have 

 a good deal to do with that, and the seasons vary, but three 

 thousand baskets to the acre is a small yield. We have set 

 out some new ground, and we shall have between sixteen and 

 seventeen acres in raspberries soon. \Nt have got some of 

 our old plantation in an apple orchard, but we are going to 

 abandon that as soon as this crop is harvested. 



Now Mr. President, I do not know as I had better take 

 more of your time to go into the question of varieties. We 

 have tried a number. Of course, we have had our failures 

 with certain varieties and others have been a success. The 

 Earlv King has done very well with us. It comes in earlv, 

 usually about the fourth of July. The usual average picking 



