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Show PICKING AND PACKING OF THE GRAPE CROP How the Work Is Done in a Pennsylvania Vineyard-Women Vineyard-Women Perform Much ol Labor By L. G. Youngs. The harvesting of Concord grapes in our section usually begins about September 25. Picking is mostly done by women. The picking price varies from one to one and one-half cents for the eight-pound baskets; for the 40-pound 40-pound crate three and four cents is paid. A day's work consists of 125 to 175 eight-pound baskets, but some extra swift pickers reach 200 baskets in a day. The cost of the eight-pound basket with cover is two cents each; that of the 40-pound crate, six cents. Most of the packing is now done in the field. A light stand is used, holding hold-ing three baskets. When the basket is full, the picker, who is known by a number, places the number on the handle of the basket, also the number of baskets she has picked during the day, and places the basket under the vines out of the way of the gathering wagon. The driver, whose duty it is the growers themselves, who are or ganized into an association with mar ager, secretary and board of directors Each grower pays this organization one-half cent a basket and one dollai a ton on bulk grapes, as the expcns tind for loading and marketing. II this is more than sufficient for the purpose, the balance is returned. The sales of grapes are pooled in periods of three days, each grower receiving the same price on shipments made during the period. All the large associations asso-ciations keep a representative or agent in the principal distributing centers like Chicago, Pittsburg and New York If from any cause the market becomet bad, the agent notifies the home office and shipments cease for a time to that point. If the markets become generally general-ly disorganized, word is passcfl to the growers, and picking and loading it suspended until the markets rally. The manufacture of grapes intc A Bunch of Concords. to keep the pickers supplied with empty baskets, keeps a tally of the baskets he hauls away and also sees that the pickers' account of picked grapes agrees with his figures as he hauls the filled baskets to the storage house. Both the picker's and his own account are given each day to the owner or manager of the vineyard and by him are credited. The grapes remain in the storage house from 24 to 48 hours, when they are covered, hauled to the station and loaded in refrigerator cars. First, however, they are inspected and pronounced pro-nounced satisfactory, and if the weather is warm the cars are iced with about four tons of ice. The car is loaded with baskets 10 to 12 high, thus making 3,000 to 3,500 baskets to the load. In inspecting a load of grapes, the inspector endeavors to examine ex-amine some baskets of each picker, and if her work is slighted or improperly improp-erly done, her number leads to detection detec-tion and she has to correct the fault in the future or be discharged. The bulk of the grapes is sold by jelly, unfermented juice, etc., is an important factor in balancing the markets. We are building a factory at North East. The company is capitalized capital-ized at $500,000 and plans to have one of the largest plants in the United States. This will greatly affect the shipment of grapes from our station and give us a home market for much of the grapes of our vineyards. Women help board themselves in the boarding houses that most of the growers have built. These houses are furnished with stoves, tables, chairs and mattresses. The pickers provide their own sheets, quilts and provisions. Butchers, bakers and grocery wagons visit those houses away from the town and keep them supplied from the stores. We have found it necessary to insist on certain rules among our help. There are always some of the girls who will keep late hours if we allow it, and by disturbing the tired ones, put the whole force on the dry dock for the next day. Therefore, a fixed hour for retiring is one of the most important. |