METHOD IN PICKING CROP. 
sack could easily be gathered. But one never knew 
the number of pickers gone to work, and so, of 
course, did not know when they had all coine in. 
The lazy fellows would begin to get tired of it^ 
and either not go to work at all, or quietlv slink 
off at seven or eight o’clock to some quiet corners “ fly 
picking.” So this loose system does not answer ; it was 
and (if still practised) is still abused. There is nothing- 
like method, system, and discipline, in picking, as in. 
everything else. Master the people and march them off 
to the picking field. If after being mustered and told 
ofl‘, instead of marching, or rather crawling to the 
spot, they make a bolt of it and run shouting and 
laughing, as they try to outstrip each other in the 
race, in order to procure and settle upon the best 
line, so much the better. It shews a spirit and heart 
in the work. In this case, there will be no (appa- 
rently involuntary) choice of the longest road, wind- 
ing round turns and zigzags, at the slowest possible 
pace, but it will be up or down the short cuts: those 
short cuts from the road above to the one below-, 
always in use when the coolies come from their work, 
but seldom w^hen going to it — unless it be to task work, 
which they know must be performed wiihout reference 
at all to four o’clock. Task work, when practicable, 
is always desirable, as it gives the cooly an object 
and aim in his work. Many object to it on the plea 
that it is seldom, if ever, properly done, but whose 
fault is that ? Some superintendents take it quite easy 
because the works are tasked. In mv opinion task 
work requires as much or perhaps more supervision 
than the mere day labour, not for the quantity of 
work done but for the quality of it. Where 
is the saving in weeding by task 200 trees as 
compared with 150 on the day’s work, if the former 
is so hurriedly and badly done, that on the next round 
you cannot get more than 100 gone over ? Depend 
upon it, there are very few^ works which can be given 
out on task that do not require a close supervision, so 
that I am neither condemning nor disapproving of task 
work, on the contrary, rather favouring it, provided 
it is understood that it in no w'ay relieves the super- 
intendent from the responsibility of insoecting and 
checking the quality of the work per for neck An 
active working cooly likes it : it is better fur himself 
and better for his master. A lazy fellow dislikes it, be- 
cause it is worse for himself insofar that he must do 
hiswmrk, and perhaps worse for his master, inasmuch as 
bad work may be concealed so as to appear as good. One 
basket of manure will be emptied into two holes, instead 
of one, and thus the trees have only half of their allow- 
