Ruth, Donna and Jack: I didn't work at a tomato canning factory but I sure did pick blackberries and strawberries. I would visit my step grandparents farm in the summer and pick blackberries to sell in Cassville, seems like they sold for maybe eight cents a quart. Andy and Merl supplied me with one of those wood carriers that held six or eight quart little boxes and it just seemed to take forever to fill them up probably because my tummy got more than the boxes did. The one thing I vividly recall was being wrapped in old rags soaked with turpentine to ward off the chiggers and ticks, to this day I can smell that turpentine, my skin would be blistered at the end of the day in the hot sun and the smell just would not wash off. But still and yet it was a wonderful time. Thanks for listening. Frances Albert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna Cooper" <saarisr@sbcglobal.net> To: <mobarry@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 2:40 PM Subject: Re: [MOBARRY] Tomatoes and Strawberries > Ruth: I love the notes you shared with us. I bet that they bring back > memories to a lot of folks who grew up in Barry County. > > Like your mother, I worked one summer in a tomato canning factory, and > like > her, I remember the different looking little knief that I used to peel > them > with and the buckets. I can't remember how old I was but I think maybe > about > 14. > > I also liked Jack's story about the blackberry and strawberry picking. And > like Jack, I picked strawberries to make money and also I picked > blackberries during the war. I was still not in school so I was very young > but I remember it. In those days there was no repellent for insects and so > I > also remember the ticks and chiggers that came with the blackberry > picking. > I remember hearing that the work we did was to help feed the soldier boys. > > In the strawberry fields I can remember the long days and long rows - all > part of picking berries. I also copperhead snakes that we sometimes > encourtered. In May and June of 1956 - I picked enough that I had 4.75 > earned. It seems like that I was paid 5 cents a quart, but I don't know if > that is right or not. Maybe some of you have a better memory about what > the > pay was than I do. > > I know that this is telling my age, but I suppose it isn't much of a > secret > anyway. [smile] > > Donna > > -------Original Message------- > > From: mobarry@rootsweb.com > Date: Sunday, November 18, 2007 13:22:11 > To: mobarry@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [MOBARRY] Tomatoes and Strawberries > > I really liked the canning factory picture. I took my magnifying glass to > see if I could find my mother. Before she passed away in 1985, I asked her > to write down things from her childhood and one was that she worked in a > tomato canning factory.. I thought I found her in the picture, but when I > went to her memories, the canning factory she worked in was in Fairview, > which is in Newton County, north and west of Wheaton. > > While this wasn't in Barry County, I thought her notes of the tomato > canning factory were interesting. These are some of her notes: > > "I worked in the canning factory in Fairview peeling tomatoes. The > tomatoes were put in big buckets, dipped in hot water, put on a track that > circled around and we took off a bucket as we needed it. Sometimes those > on > the far end were a long time getting tomatoes to peel. We were paid by the > bucket after they were peeled. Had a special kind of knife to use to cut > out > the cores. It was spoon-like on the end and had a short wooden handle. > When > we had a bucket of peeled tomatoes, we had a card that was punched. > > Mr. Hightower was the man that punched the tickets. He always wore white > shirts. He was so prissy that sometimes the women filling the cans would > somehow manage to shake their hands when he got close. The results, tomato > juice on his white shirt. He'd go home for lunch and came back with a > fresh > crisp white shirt on. Mrs. Hightower sure laundered a lot of white shirts > that summer. > > Mr. Grimes owned the canning factory. The farmers put out acres of > tomato > plants and made good money from their work. > > One summer Ida Carpenter helped peel tomatoes. Her husband owned the > grain elevator but she thought everyone should help work up the tomatoes. > We > even worked on Sunday if there were several wagon loads needing peeling. > The > skins were dumped just outside the back door and before summer was over, > the > peelings made a big pile and didn't smell too good...." > > Mother also wrote about picking strawberries and blackberries. I know > that picking strawberries in the summer provided income for a lot of > people. > These are her strawberry memories: > > "...they had a strawbery patch and while we still lived in town, we all > went out and worked. Dad was what they called the straw boss. He started > pickers on the right row so they didn't skip a row or get on one already > picked...." > > Ruth > > > Please tell us about your Barry county ancestors. The list-admin is Donna > Cooper, address - (saarisr@sbcglobal.net) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MOBARRY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > . > Please tell us about your Barry county ancestors. The list-admin is Donna > Cooper, address - (saarisr@sbcglobal.net) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MOBARRY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >