What are these men doing?

[Bigcypresshunter]

There was a discussion at my Moms, last time I visited, over a plate that she has. We cannot figure out what these men are doing. Does anyone know? I told my Mom that TN would have the answer.

 

[Montana Jim]

I see stick people...

Irrigation ditch = YES
Wooden irrigation gate - YES
4 guys working a big area = YES

Any food coming off that plate = YUMMY :P

Montana Jim has a clue = NO

 

[River Rat]

Don't laugh!!! After reviewing the replies, and studying the pic on the serving platter and searching the web for possible answers. Due to my own experience...it looks to be the gathering of mayhaws. Here's a website to read about the fruit... http://www.emerils.com/cooking/archives/000450.html
But, it fits the pic...with the flowers around the edge of the platter too. As far as crawfish harvesting, the trees throw the pic off balance...not swampy enough.

Just my guess

RR

 

[Montana Jim]

Don't laugh!!! After reviewing the replies, and studying the pic on the serving platter and searching the web for possible answers. Due to my own experience...it looks to be the gathering of mayhaws. Here's a website to read about the fruit... http://www.emerils.com/cooking/archives/000450.html
But, it fits the pic...with the flowers around the edge of the platter too. As far as crawfish harvesting, the trees throw the pic off balance...not swampy enough.

Just my guess

RR

This from a site I found about Mayhaw Trees; "In May the red berries are gathered by hand or scooped out of the water in fishnets."

RiverRat... I think your dead on!!!!

 

[Angelo]

Does the plate border resemble this pic of a Mayhaw branch and berries?

Tony

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Gosh you guys .....This should have been an easy one for all of us....They are using early under water metal detectors ....Geesh....

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Does the plate border resemble this pic of a Mayhaw branch and berries?

Tony

I dont have the platter. I only have the pics that I took on Thanksgiving. I like the metal detector idea.

 

[PBK]

Does the plate border resemble this pic of a Mayhaw branch and berries?

 

[Itsmy6]

Practicing ice hockey

I go with this one.

 

[River Rat]

Years ago, we would wander around in the bogs looking for mayhaw thickets. Depends on the weather, is how we harvested the fruit. I have 3 trees in my yard and an additional 8 in the "orchard", that were all transplanted from the swamps. At the present time all the trees are loaded with flowers, a hard freeze can damage the crop. I have a U-Pick operation here and believe me I have the customers. Plus, I make the jelly to sell too. But from what I gather from the web and seen in the stores some of the growers have gone commerical with the harvesting. If you never tasted mayhaw jelly, you don't know what good tasting jelly is all about.

Going back to the platter, it is possible that it may very well be what the picture is all about. From my readings on the web, jelly cakes and rolls were made from mayhaw jelly, so that may be what the platter is for.

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/mayhaw.htm

RR

 

[Monty]

Cultivating rice. See the little sprouts sticking up. Chinese live on rice. Monty

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Years ago, we would wander around in the bogs looking for mayhaw thickets. Depends on the weather, is how we harvested the fruit. I have 3 trees in my yard and an additional 8 in the "orchard", that were all transplanted from the swamps. At the present time all the trees are loaded with flowers, a hard freeze can damage the crop. I have a U-Pick operation here and believe me I have the customers. Plus, I make the jelly to sell too. But from what I gather from the web and seen in the stores some of the growers have gone commerical with the harvesting. If you never tasted mayhaw jelly, you don't know what good tasting jelly is all about.

Going back to the platter, it is possible that it may very well be what the picture is all about. From my readings on the web, jelly cakes and rolls were made from mayhaw jelly, so that may be what the platter is for.

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/mayhaw.htm

RR

Thats very interesting, River Rat. We have Pond Apples or Custard Apples grow wild in the swamp, drop off with a ker-thunk in the water and float. Only good when they fall off. Oldtimers used to make a Custard Pie. Now only animals eat them. Too many seeds. We dont have mayhaws. The men dont seem to have any bag or containers for collecting fruit, but it could be.

 

[Angelo]

Here's some cranberry scoopers and migrant workers. Notice that they had baskets.

The workers on the plate seem to be just cleaning the debris from the irrigation ditches and not harvesting.

Don's ask me! I'm from Idaho and I know potatoes. Furthermore, potates do not grow on trees I'm told.

Tony

 

[Marty-Graw]

monty bear me to my guess....rice farming

 

[Montana Jim]

Cultivating rice. See the little sprouts sticking up. Chinese live on rice. Monty

Monty... I respectfully disagree sir. I think the little lines you take as grass sproutes are an attempt by the artist to portray reflection in the water, not rice. Also, being a period piece, rice would be portrayed as hand sown, grown in rows in "fields" and not in smallish irrigation channels.

Just my two cents - and prolly only clad at that. :P

 

[Charlene]

I'd have to guess rice farming too, Chinese eat ALOT of rice, fish, duck, donkey, dog, I'll be over there in 3 more weeks...mmmmm

 

[TreasureTales]

The Chinese made lots of dinnerware for export...they would try to appeal to the markets and therefore create designs or pictures on the china that were familiar to the market (the buyers of their wares) rather than depict Chinese scenes. So this platter may very well be an export item depicting something common (at the time) in another country...usually Britain. If it is a newer Chinese platter, then it could be depicting an American scene. IOW, just because it's made in China doesn't necessarily mean it's a Chinese scene.

Trees in California are sometimes irrigated the way the trees in this scene are. The practice is not as common anymore because it often was a waste of freshwater. And rice is not grown under trees, it is grown in semi-flooded fields in full sun...not ditches under or between trees. Considering all these things, I agree that its a mayhaw orchard and the fruits are either being harvested or the irrigation ditches are being cleaned.

Learn something new everyday here...never heard of mayhaw jelly until this thread.

 

[cheese]

I was thinking mayhaws too! I feel so sorry for those of you who have never eaten mayhaw jelly/preserves ! We have mayhaws growing near the river, and any other wet areas around my parts. Seriously...mayhaw jelly is unlike any other. MMMMM!

 

[romeo-1]

I always find it interesting the different names for similar items. You call them mayhaws...I call them mawberries...

It looks like a cranberry bog...as stated earlier in this post...

 

[Monty]

Ok, Montana Jim, wanna rassle? They don't plant rice seed, the sprig it in any place that they find standing water. Now days they have irrigated fields that they actually flood every year. It's the dress of the men who are tilling or doing whatever they are doing that kinda' throws me. If it was a depiction of the USA in the early years, rice farming was done in the south, especially around the civil war years and the workmen would likely be slaves. They're not. I never knew they cultivated those mau mau berries but the only ones I knew about around here were in the east Texas swamps where they more or less grew wild. But I haven't actually seen them, just heard about them. The picture gives me the impression of a plantation or large farming operation rather than just a couple of farmers out doing whatever. Dang, now I have myself confused. And I was all the way up to .051% right in my guessing too. Monty

 

[Montana Jim]

Ok, Montana Jim, wanna rassle? They don't plant rice seed, the sprig it in any place that they find standing water. Now days they have irrigated fields that they actually flood every year. It's the dress of the men who are tilling or doing whatever they are doing that kinda' throws me. If it was a depiction of the USA in the early years, rice farming was done in the south, especially around the civil war years and the workmen would likely be slaves. They're not. I never knew they cultivated those mau mau berries but the only ones I knew about around here were in the east Texas swamps where they more or less grew wild. But I haven't actually seen them, just heard about them. The picture gives me the impression of a plantation or large farming operation rather than just a couple of farmers out doing whatever. Dang, now I have myself confused. And I was all the way up to .051% right in my guessing too. Monty

Generally I cringe at the thought of disagreeing with you because * best Cartman voice * "I respect your authority". I just don't see rice. However I do think your much better than .051%!