24 THE BOOK OF MARKET GARDENING 



utilised, and to avoid all trouble of booking it is some- 

 times the rule to pay the sum agreed upon to each indivi- 

 dual when the basket or box is brought in. Otherwise 

 numbered tickets or metal checks are given and payment 

 is made daily or weekly as arranged, but daily payment 

 or part-payment is commonly required by such workers. 

 The actual rates are even more variable than those that 

 apply to permanent wages, and in many instances they 

 depend upon the amount of the crop, as the possible 

 earnings will be regulated by the quantity available. In 

 bunching or similar work, fixed rates are adopted, as the 

 workers' earnings depend entirely upon their own skill 

 and quickness. 



As regards the relative value of men and women in 

 temporary work of the kind indicated, there is little doubt 

 that while the former are needed for most land work, 

 especially on the heavier soils, the latter are the best 

 adapted for the lighter forms, particularly gathering and 

 bunching. 



It should be added that wages for permanent hands 

 range from 2s. 6d. to 4s. per day, according to the skill 

 and experience of the men, while for some it may rise 

 to 5s. or 5s. 6d. a day. In some extensive market 

 gardens also it is the rule to have the smallest possible 

 number of permanent hands, who practically act as 

 foremen in different departments ; the whole of the 

 work is done by temporary labour by piece-work or 

 payment by the hour, and printed bills are posted 

 up at the entrance to the office or at the gateway, " No 

 notice given or required to terminate work in this 

 establishment." 



Considerate treatment with judicious firmness and 

 fairness is appreciated by the best men of all classes 

 with which we have had to deal, and those who are not 

 amenable to such management are not worth having. 

 It is, however, always advisable to have a few plain 



