Medford mail tribune., August 10, 1958, Image 46

Bright and early, the kids line up for the bus. Time passes quickly when you're picking beans. Soon comes the welcome break for eating lunch.
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Mud is fun, and good for the feet, 'tis said.
For
Teen-Agers,
It's the Berries!
A "mother" to 70 youths tells how they earn and learn in the fields of Oregon.
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by Mrs. Andrew Baker
I n the Willamette VALLEY in Ore
gon, strawberry and .bean
growers offer a good oppor
tunity for teen-agers to pick up
extra money during the Summer.
My job is to organize a "platoon"
for two growers each year. I have
about 70 teen-agers, ranging from
11 to 16, working with me, and we
have a grand time together.
Our day starts at 6 a.m. The grower
supplies the transportation (usually
an old school bus) and we pick
the youngsters up at stops near
their homes. Forty-five minutes
later, they are hard at work in the
fields, and with a break for lunch,
they usually work through until
four, except on real hot days,
when they knock off at two.
During the day, I go out in the
fields to check their output, and
at weighing-in time I'm there to
help. On the way home, the bus ride
is boisterous fun, with singing and
laughing, and a couple of hours
later most of the gang are down
at the local swimming pool.
These youngsters earn from 6
to 15 dollars a day. The girls use
their earnings mostly for party
dresses, and the boys like to buy
old cars that they can fix up. They
do their work with real zest, and
at the same time they're de
veloping a sense of responsibility
that will be an asset to them
in their mature years. They are
a great reassurance to me when I
read of juvenile problems. They
will be leaders in the community
in a few years, and I'm not
afraid to speculate about
how well they will do.
Family Weekly, August 10, 1958
19