PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 67 



THE PACIFIC COAST LABOR QUESTION FROM THE STANDPOINT 

 OF A HORTICULTURIST. 



By G. H. HECKE, of Woodland. 



During the last decade the land-owners and agricultural producers of 

 California, Oregon, and Washington have been confronted with a labor 

 problem that has so far baffled all solution — the scarcity of efficient 

 farm and orchard help at certain periods of the season. 



The fruit, vegetable, sugar-beet, and hop areas have increased rapidly 

 with the development of the country, without a corresponding increase 

 of available help to harvest the perishable produce. 



In these industries there are conditions that are peculiar to the Pacific 

 Coast. There are certain periods of the season, comparatively short, 

 during which there is an urgent demand for a large number of unskilled 

 laborers to harvest and handle the varied crops. Unfortunately there 

 are other periods of the year during which there is no employment on 

 the farm or in the orchard and vineyard for most of these unskilled 

 workmen. 



Commencing with strawberries, cherries, asparagus, and hay in the 

 spring, continuing through the summer and fall with apricots, peaches, 

 hops, beans, wheat, barley, raisins, and prunes, and ending in the winter 

 months with olives and oranges, it may be said that the harvest season 

 goes on from one year's end to another without interruption, but the 

 amount of help required varies with the season. It is this irregularity 

 in the demand that makes the supply so uncertain and wholly inade- 

 quate, frequently resulting in disaster to crops and material loss to the 

 producer. 



For the preparation of the soil and the cultivation of crops efficient 

 white labor is usually available, but the harvest season, which is neces- 

 sarily a limited period, requires a vast amount more help, and in a 

 great measure the agricultural and horticultural industries have been 

 dependent upon migratory Oriental labor that has no fixed place of 

 habitation, but is content to begin where crops first ripen and move 

 from place to place as the seasons progress. 



During the last four years there has been extraordinary railroad 

 development. Unskilled labor can be utilized to good advantage in 

 construction work, and the demand from railroad contractors for that 

 class of labor has served to further accentuate the labor problem that 

 constantly confronts those engaged in agriculture and kindred indus- 

 tries. Other new industrial enterprises have opened additional avenues 

 for the employment of labor, and so great has been the increase in the 

 demand for skilled wage-workers, that intelligent and reliable white 

 labor is no longer content to engage in menial occupations, and there 

 appears to be room for more of that class of laborers who are willing to 



