88 



CRANBERRY CULTL'RE. 



The old plan was to pick in baskets, and then pour the 

 berries into bags, only taking them up at noon or night 

 to be measured by the boss; the number of pecks or 

 bushels picked by Till Willitts or Hannah Butler, being 

 then credited to them in his book. The objections to this 

 system were serious : the berries were imnecessarily han- 

 dled ; the trouble of measuring a large lot of fruit, while 

 the pickers were standing around, impatient to get home, 

 was very great ; and the accounts, kept under such circum- 

 stances, were not always to be depended upon. Hannah 

 would keep her own account ; and if, in the settlement, 

 yours did not correspond with it, what could you do but 

 allow hers ? 



These inconveniences induced growers to look about 

 for something better, which they found in the pech boxes 

 or haslaets^ now used. The barrels are taken into the 

 meadow, and deposited in some spot convenient to the 

 pickers. When a peck box is filled, it is brought up and 

 emptied by the picker, who in turn receives a ticket, 

 somewhat like this. 



: 



ONE PECK. 



{Grower'' s Name.) 



Other tickets, of different colors, and larger denomina- 

 tions — for instance, oxe bushel, and five bushels — are 

 convenient to exchange for these. The object in having 

 them of different colors is, that they may be distinguished 

 at a glance, without reading. 



This does away with all measuring, all book accounts, 

 and all mistakes. The tickets repi*esent so much money, 

 and are frequently used as such at the neighboring stores. 



Another method is to have each peck box numbered, in 

 large ficrures, and keep the accounts in a book ; the picker's 

 number being used instead of her name. The advantage 



