J
HOP HARVEST.
ricatmirsQUR cK!r: in ceji-
XHAL MKW VUllll.
An Invading Army of Mop Pickers
Arum sturrouiidlnit Tiiwim-How
the Mop Am ricked
-Muy tKnnes.
JN a realistic illus
trated account of
mm.
tin; annual hop har
vest in Central New
York, which is the
htadipiarlcr of the
Imp industry tn the
Kast, Fmnk Leslie'
Weekly says:
This hop-picking
Motrin ttm tlrst r
second week In Peptembcr. It depends,
ol course, im the went her nml the kind
of hop grown. This your the sinson is
backward, nml Into Imp may yet he
tupped by the frost. Toe vine mu-t be
tripped without delay, ami so there is
o great demand lor "help."' Kvcrybodv,
without regaid to nae, six, or pievious
oondition of mvitude, is welomol.
tireat preparations hio made to lent the
invading unuy of workers. 'Ihe house-
wife prepares big batches" of cakes,
fi:cs and crullers. The hop "hands"
ike to go where thete is a good table.
Those who set a poor table soon become
known, nnd are avoided. The
majority of pickers come from near-by
towns and cities, Utica, Oneida, Homo
and Syracuse furnishing their quota.
The other dny I met a heavy wagon-loud
of women, young and old, going to the
fragrant Holds. Tho party came from
Syracuse, so I heard. They wcie nil in
high spirits, laughing, joking, calling
out to every pusser-by, nnd breaking
forth at short intervals into song. Tho
girls seemed happy in tho thought that
at last they were out of the city and in
the country, where there is no style nnd
no policemen. When "help" is scarce,
tho hop-growers adveitise in the news
papers for pickers. Their tempting in
aucements, which appear in the "want"
column, must not be taken literally, as
the following will show: "Wanted
Fifty hop-pickers for tho finest place in
Otsego County ; one minute's walk from
the village; tiuo table board ;-loating,
fishing, riding, dancing aud music; fnre
both ways." Some notices state that
'women are preferred." The chief rea
son is that women are quiot, industrioui,
and give loss trouble than tho men.
In days gone by tho hop-yard was
often the scene of fierce fighting and
bloody affrays. The "roughs" from
cities wcro involved in drunken rows
and provoked general disorder. Some
times the presence of the women-folk
rather added to than allayed the trouble.
To nip disturbance in the bud the grow-
Baa Ditto
rs have deputy constables sworn, and
tne hop bands are afraid to incite mis
chief when they are almost sure of be
ing lugged off to the village "lock-up,"
fined, or sent to jail. Ia large hop-yards
iron 100 to 200 people are employed.
.1. in
Jii
JJJJ sJN-ija I m the picking, Many look tot ward to
Most of theso sra either boarder nr
lodged (lurino; tie season. One of the
largest hop-yards In the country lies n
few mile iouth of Watervillc. The yard,
with lta seemingly endless rowi of pole,
It a welt kept as garden. Here, la
September, a ;ang df picker lietd like
dogs In n kennel. They room In rude
cabins fitted with "bunks" lu Bowery
lodging house stylo. Two or three yean
ago sonic hop growers had Italians como
picKisn
from New York. Tuo ' tagos" proved
chimsynnd Inefficient, and in most cues
the experiment has uot been rupeust.
Perhaps the most expert hop pickers am
the lndins and half-breeds I rum New
York and Canadian reservation. The
have their own food supplies andook
for themsoives. I hev nre peaceable, in.
iliutnuiis people. Onm ill w.ille,
during the picking season, a brave takes
too much 'lire-water, but more olte'i
alter the season is over, when he has
been paid. Many n grower sends hli
hired man with a large wauon in which
pickrrs are conveyed to the yard in tint
morning and bac.t to their homes In the
nigh'. It ii surprising how many young
people flock to the yard and tak part
in the picking. Many look forward to
the hop crop Irom year to year as tho
chance to make little ready money.
About the time that the pale saffron
tint in the eastern sky turns into a rose
low, the pickers are at work stripping
the vines. The sharp and eager morn
ing air is saturated with a cloying odor
of some kind; soon the nostrils are
tickle, by the pugent aroma of hops,
aud the lungs drink in to their full the
potent inrlueuces of the vines. The
hand of tho picker, which, whether he
be a Pharisee or not, ho has littlo chance
of washing before moat, are begrimed
with the pollen, or "gold dust," some of
which is necessarily swallowed and alter
ward acts as a tonio aud sedative. The
bcucKcial effects of bops as cured for
brewing purposes are well know. Any
hop picker can tell you of the wonders
wrought by a fortnight's stay in the hop
yards. It is as good as a mouth' out
ing by the seasboro; better than
dorter's pills and bills so say those who
have tried this simple prescription.
The picturesque sido of hop plckii.g Is
seen in the morning hours, when tho
dark-green vines with thoir yollowish
strobiles offer a highly-elaborate back
ground or setting to the moving human
figures. All over the yard there it life
and activity. Here are gllinp3ei of color
a navy-blue blouse, a bright red rib
bon, or a gay striped shawl; and here
the Desartian pose and posturing of
strong-limbed young men and women,
and the quicic movements of the supple
Indian and swarthy half-breed pickers.
From different points in the yard come
bits of song a girl's sweet voice, a
nop.
boy'i thrill treble, or a man' deep bass.
Yes; the American girl picking bop
compare well with the Chinese
Lady Picking Mulberries." She Is
Just a "cute," just a bewitching.
Then there 1 toineihiog about tbi bop
picking that breaks through manly
reserved and maidenly modesty. The
boys nnd girls side by side whisper
short message for two ears: merry joM
and sharp repartees are bandied from lip
to Hp; often there is a air procure of
hands which Is explained when the
day's picking is over.
The hop crop Is picked In bones which
hold from seven to eight bushels. These
botes are ingeniously constructed nnd
nop.
hivo four compartment c mviitied In a
main box. Therj nro lour pickers to n
box, two on a side, e-u'i oue having hi
or her own section to Mil. Then there
are "pole-pullers" wh i alien 1 to noma
six or eight pickers, or to four or Ave if
the crop is light. Thosu men pull the
poles rr Mil the ground anil cut the boo
vine near the root. The poles ami
strings rest ou a support at tue eud of
tho box for the convenience of the pick,
ers. The puller 1 also n box-tender,
S'.ieing chat leives are not mix.! in with
the hops. He also "keaps tally" of the
number of bushels or boxes picked.
When a box or section is rilled, tho
"tender" I fiotilled and thu contents are
emptied into a sack. Twlcu it day thu
sack are gathered ana taucn ton Kiln in
the hop-houso nnd there dried. The
hops must be lightly nnd evenly scat
tered, not pressed down or packed.
After being subjected to a heat never
rising above one hundred and thirty do
greoi, they are bleached with brimstone
to tho right color. Tho bop-pickers are
paid by the box, and according to
whether tbey board themselves or not.
The rates of wages are regulated usuilly
by the Hop Growers' Association, which
fixes tho scale juit before the season
opens. This year the prices are twenty
five cents per box with hoard, and forty
five cents per box without board. There
is a wido difference in the amount which
a picker will gather in a dny, ranging
all the way from two boxes for a klowor
worker to four and even five boxes for
an expert one. The competition be
tween these exports is not the less keen
because it is good-natured. The rivals
have a "setting" that is, three rows cn
each side of the box, and six poles from
the end and tho boxes and picker
novo forward to another Butting.
Tho morning hour pass all too
quickly, when dinner-time comes. Muny
of the picker bring their own lunches,
and so, in tome shady nook or secluded
corner, or beneath tho spreading
branches of a big tree, the noonday meal
is spread, with the green sod for a table.
It is one of the features of the day this
eating, gossiping, laughing time. Din
ner over, the work goes on, but the
afternoon hour seem long drawn-out.
The young folk grow restless and tired.
Oh, if lomethlng would only happen !
The expected doe happen when some
one cries, "Hop inckl" Then, if the
picker be comely Inst, she must be
dumped in her own box, before it can
be properly emptied. Again, the mis
chievous boy claim a kiss when they
find vine which grow in the form of
the letter O. The gray shadow of tho
autumn sun creep foot by foot over the
hop-yard, and th end of tht dajfswork
I I
is announced by a shout and a yell that
would not dlsgince Onondaga Indians.
There ia a general nub, or ."break," for
home and supner. In large hop-yards,
where a hundred or more "hands" are
employed, there is something going ou
every evening during the picking season.
Alter supper, a circle of choice spirits
will gather on the moonlit, side of the
kiln, nnd there play "kissing gamos"
"potoffice'' and "forfeits" aud sing
Oospel hymn and also popular songs.
Tho hop dance are often wild and
boisterous affairs, and need to be seen to
be enjoyed.
Curious llnhlt of Ants.
An amusing instance ha been wit
nessed of tho artilluo tn w'licli the work-
ers sometime resort In order to retain a
queen In the olony. When she show
a disposition to fly away they forcibly de
tain her, strip oil her wins and couvoy
her back to the nest in triump.i a prisoner
closely Kti'trded, but one to be treated
with all the courtesy and consideration
that the ingenuity of tho nut can sug
gest. Thi peculiar habit of some ant is
their disposition to furnish thoir own
habitation with slaves at the exnense of
- .rV--- '
sr.AVR t ATrnsm:;?B o tiir qrRR".
neighboring communities. They assem
ble in large numbers nnd set oir. on ma
rauding expeditious, capturing nests bv
assault and carrying off tiie slaves and
youug in tho teeth of opposition, to bj
brought up in their owu colony to worlc
for their Raptor.
Another curious nnd intcre'titif habit
of some nuts is their cultivation of tnu
nnt cow, nn insect Iro n which they ob
tain a kind of honey. The cow nru no;
admitted to the habitation of tho nuts,
but have a separate c.-tiblishatent b'lilc
for them by their misters, who rear
their young with as muc'i euro r.s they
bestow OA their own. The nnt cow de
rive the milk that it yields from the sap
of plants which it suck, nnd Its mister
frequently depends almost entirely on it
for food supplies for itelf and young.
mi
ANT MIT.KIN'rt A!f ANT CW7.
The liquid sometimes llows spontaneously
from thu cow, but the nnt can obtain it
whenever uceded by a process of milk
ing. Sir J. Lubboik has mado sojio Inter
esting experiments pointing to the fact
that ants, by soni'J moan or other, con
trive to iccogiii7.) their kindred alter
long periods of sep nration.
How lo Dry ItuViar Pnots.
Rubber boot which have b'.'comi wnt
Inside, either from oxposure or perspira
tion are dangerous to wear until dried
out, uud 'this is often a difficult task ;
nikny wear cork soles which can bo
taken out and dried, others fill their
boots with hot onts at night, and others
shake hot sravel in them to dry them
EFFKCTJVB WAT TO PHY nonnKR BOOTS.
out, but ull these plans aro ouly partly
successful.
The illustration presents another plna
which has the merit of being quicklv
accomplished, effective and uew. A
lamp is set on the floor, the boot is tied
to tho back of a chair, low onough so
that tho chimney extends well up into
tho boot leg, the lamp is lighted and
turned up. The hot air goes just where
it is needed and dries tho boots .Vaier
icau Agriculturist.
The Origin of Some Flower Xnmi.
It is interesting to trace tbo names of
plants. For instance, tho fuchsia, dah
lia and magnolia were culled after three
ancient and colebratod botanists, Fucos,
Dahl and Magnol. Carrot means rod,
and Hawthorne is tho Dutch for Hedge
thorne. It was once a custom to thread
strawberries on a straw for sale, and so
they receivod their name. Lavandula is
the Latin name for lavender, and is said
to come from the vorb lavure, meaning
to wash. We can traoe the connectiou
hero by romemberlng t it the plint was
formerly used a great (teal in the clothes
press. Also, what is now a "laundry"
wns once a "laveotory." In Homan
Catholic countries flowers were often
given the names of saluts or named
after th Virgin', as St. John' wort,
Basil-thyme, Marigold and Rosemary
American Farmer,
JAPANESE TRAITS.
QEKP.U HABITS AN O DfTfjIFI'S OF
AX OKIUNTAIj VEOI'IjK
Jenancsn Raliv House Sleeping; nn
Wonilon Pillow Child None
Buddha In China anil Japan
Uuddhism v. Shlntolsm.
JAPANESE ch I 1-
says Bli Perkins in
the New York Sun.
A tho house: are
too small to live in
during the day,
the children a I 1
swarm into the
street. Japanese
children never
think of playing In
the house; there isn't room. Tho house
I a doll' hon-e, with no chimney and
no liro except a half pint of charcoal
burning in n little earthen Inv 1 called a
haoachi. There aru no bedsteads, chair
or tallies. Thny nil sit nnd lie on rico
strnw mat on the floor n primitively ns
a (.'omanche Indlf n family. The father
nnd mother have a head ret of wood,
but the children lio around like kitten.
"Don't that hard pieca f wood hurt
your neck'f" I nked.
No. Our r.ecks nro strong. We aro
used to it; but. lee, there are five pieces
of paper over the wood."
In the morning the babies are strapped
to the back of tho children aud turned
loose into the street. Swarms of chil
dren can bo seen any time in the strets
romping ami racing, each with a baby
airapiM-d to its back, to the midst of
Hr.v jwxrr.
the most euitin games tne bib;e will
be sound nsleep, whits the bigger
brother or sister will be ruuning and
screaming with laughtor. As soon as n
baby can walk it mother scraps a blu
doll to its bac:. This. is a sign of man
hood or womanhood, and I he baby boy
is as proud of his doll ns nn American
boy i of a pair of high boots; nnd it
girl oh, my I I saw a mother one day
stirring some barley which she was boi
iug lor tho children, and said:
'Why don't ycur husbaud help you?"
"Oh, he is too busy.'
"What is ho doing"
"He is flying a kite."
Thoso children were laughing and
playing with babies ou their back waeu
j snapped my kodak on them. This so
frightened them that their faces took on
u look of alarm,
Tho Christopher Columb'.i, George
Washington ana St. Patrick of Japan is
Buddhu, often called the Daibutsu. His
statues are everywhere. Tuey confront
you like tho Madonnas of It iphncl in
Italy. Thero are five colossal bronM
stntucs of this patron saint in Japan, dis
tributed as follows: Kioto, 53 feet hlgn;
Nura, SU feet high; Kamakura, 4 'J 1'ect
high; Hyoga, iS feet high, and Toklo,
21 foot high, Besides, ho is in every
Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine in
Japan. This statue represents Buddha
in a Shinto shrine in Tokio. Underneath
him are tho Shinto saints or aucestors
dressed up like Japaneso dog, lie is
always the same benign-looking old wo
man, with earrings and a shining jewel
in his forehead. Ho seems to say to him
solf constantly, "I am perfection." Many
of those stntues were cast from six hun
dred to a tboimud years ago. The
children play hide-and-go seek around
them and climb up into them, and tho
birds build nests m poor old Buddha's
ears nnd nostrils. No one seems to have
any conception of what Buddha is for.
lie is really tho Sphinx of Japan.
When I asked N. Amcnomorl, the
noted Japanese writer and linguist, what
was the difference between the Bud
dhism and Shlntoism be said:
TCNNT JAPANESE CBILDRE.
Buddhism is a philosophical re
ligion a very philosophical religion. It
is so philosophical that the common
people can't understand it, and I can't
explain it. It personifies all virtues, and
people pray for these virtues." It u a
religion, Buddha is always worshiped
ia a temple, a a peMOuilkatioa of virtue.
j? z?
II 1 -i ;
f ?Br I
"And Shlntolsm, what ia that!" 1
asked.
"Shlntolsm means shrine worship.
We don'l have Shinto templos. Tbey
are shrine or mausoles. A Shluto shrine
ii really a burying ground a place)
Whore distinguished ancestor are buried.
We go to the Shinto shrike as your
people go lo Greenwood Cemetery, with
a prayer upon their lips; it Is not a re
ligion; it is ancestor veneration. Yon
have this samo sentiment when you ob
serve Decoration Day. I have seen
Americans take oil their hats at the first
sight of an Aiiorican flag in Toklo. A
Shinto shrine is filled with monumonta
to illustrious, warriors, teachers and
poets. The Shoguns built their own
shrines before they died. They are at
Nikko, Toklo, and nil over Japau.
When tho peoplo enter theso beautiful
shrines and stand In tho presence of the)
distinguished dead, they reverentially
Inke ott their hats, a you do at the
tomb of Washington."
"You put Duddlia in the Shinto
shrines toot'' 1 said.
"Yes, Buddha is always there. Tho
Japanese and Chinese all respuct Bud
dha. Ho was a good ancestor. Many
blunder by calling thu mausolei and
shrines at Nikko temples. They ara
shrines lice the tombs of tho Ming Em
perors a: Pekin. To illustrate: i3eforo
thu dcatu of the second Shogu'i of the
Tokii'.'ana dynasty, he built in Nikko a
miiguiticunt. shriue to his father Icyasu.
tlis fatiier's body was carried troin Toklo
in great pomp, attended by the living
Shogun and a representative from the
Mikado ut Kioto. Ic is simply a grand
ruonimi'.'tic to tne Tokugawa family, t
hear the Vtiuderhilt and Gould and
other rich families in America hsve
built maii'oiea or nrnr 'n ,,iT-".t
OI.'.Ls i.Lh.fcP.
and Woodlawn. Tne louugaa lant
ily after a while became so great that
they didn't consider it any honor to even
have Buddha in their mausolea. In fact,
the family finally removed tho Bud this:
gongs, bells, prayer books and other
paraphernalia."
Do the people worship tho mytho
logical statues in tho Buddhist temoles?"
'Yes, the ignoiant do. They psy
money to tho priosu for tho privilege of
4 S-y--.J .'ifSir.-j. 3
A JAPASK.sK STATPli Of BOODHA.
praying. Alter praying they throw
wads of paper, which tbey have cheel
up in thoir mouths, at tho statue of
Buddab. If thesu wads stick they think
their prayers aru answered. If they fall
off, the ignorant go away grumbling aul
displeased at Buddha."
The Shintoites believe in the doctrine
of the transmigration of souls, and in
the grounds of almost every Shinto)
shrine is a wall-eyed whito horse. It
ha grown restless from being tied up
and overfed by the people, and stand
thero wiid-ejed and swaying like thu
wolf or bear in tho zoological garden.
Every worshiper imagiues that the old
horse contains the soul of some dead
aunt, uncle or father.
Coiideii-cd Milk.
Condensed milk is nn American in
vention, and the methad in foreign
countries, as Franco and Switzerland, a
well as in England, where the business
is now carried on, is precisoly tho isms
as the American way. This is to evapor
ate the water from the milk by steam
heat in vacuum pans, at such a low
temperature as wilL entirely avoid danger
of burning it. So that not only is steam
needed to keep up the vacuum by air
pumps and remove the vapor from thu
pans, but to furnish the heat. A tea
horse power boiler, or one to furnish,
steam for a ten-horse power engiue,
would do all the work for a small factory
using 1000 pounds of milk daily. X
two-horse power engine would do tha
pumping required to keep the vacuum
periect. This quantity of milk will
luinUh one-fourth a much condensed.
New York Times.
Leather cuirasses were used
Roman in their early history.
by th
-rrVerirl In if J ii J ii.rr-TcVi
m(fftz7nt tell11
V