Morning journal and courier., 1883-06-01
The Strawberry King,
And His Hundred and Forty Acres
Berries I'm Tennessee.

Ana His Hundred and Forty Acres OF
Berries i'm Tennessee.
[From the Louisville Courier-Journal.l {.
The title of strawberry King" belongs to
j. NJ Samuels, who is raising berries at
Jackson, He came to Tennessee one year
ago and Immediately set eighty seven acres
in Strawberries Since that time sufficient
more land has been added to make 140 acres
in the luscious fruit, besides $50 acres in
other fruits. Every one in this country is
talking about the large strawberry field, and
every child and darkey is picking the fruit.
The latter come in swarms, reminding one of
large docks of blackbirds. They consider it
kind of picnic and at the same time make it
very profitable. Sambo and Dinah go swing
ing along, hand in hand; and by their fire.
quent yah-hahs are evidently enjoying them
selves in the highest degree. Dinah usually
brings in the most quarts, and does not seem
to exert herself more than Sambo. A close
| observer will notice that all the berries the
| latter picks do not always go into his own
basket The coaxing smiles over the way
| account for this Mr.. Sanluels informs me
| that at his two places, one here and one at
| Malesus, Tenn, he had 525 hands picking
| yesterday, and shipped 10000 quarts of ber'
| ries.
| He has fourteen packing houses, each fif.
teen feet square, with two narrow doors or
| one side Just wide enough to admit one per
| son at time, bench two feet wide, run
ming the length of the house, faces these
doors and is just far enough from the wal
| between the doors to let one person at 6
time pass through. The picker passes IN al
one door and out at the other, thus avoiding
collision. There is wider door at the bach
| of the house, through which the wagon mar
takes the fruit The fruit is received on the
| bench in quart boxes packed In cases, set
back on a mailing bench, the tops are nailed
| on, marked and it is ready for shipping. No
| one gets in another's way. boss or super
| intendent looks after fifty hands, to see that
thew keep the row assigned to them, pick the
fruit clean and see that it is at the proper
stage of maturity for shipping.
The most novel feature, and one tnat may
benefit some of your readers, Is plaa adopt.
! ed by Mr. Samuels to keep correct tally OF
| the amount of fruit picked by each picker
| The nsnal pIau of giving ticket for each
! ouart he claims has many objections where
| one is in the business extensively. He has q
card four inches in length by one and hall
| inches vide, on which a number of figures
are printed to represent quarts, with smaller
figures below giving the sum of all above
| The larger figures are punched out with q
punch like railroad conductors, as the Der
ries are brought in. A man stands at one Of
| the packing house doors for this purpose
and punches out numbers, representing the
quarts picked, attends to the berries and
| gives instructions about picking This re-
| quires an experienced man, and one who 1E
| thoroughly honest as it is easy to punch out
| figures representing more than is brought II
| by some favorite. Experienced men from
several States assist The pickers are paid
/ by the quart and some of them make 81 5C
a day, and it takes pretty good sum daily
to pay them Off. It is necessary for the
payee to have his change all ready, and i
| takes but moments glance at ticket tc
see what is due on each one. 1t is quite
amusing to notice the broad smiles of salts
faction on the darkey's face when he Gomez
| up for his pay and receives his portion from
the large stock of bright silver pieces Al
attempt was made few days ago to make al
even change in pennies but the darkie
made big kick against receiving "bras
money" and it had to be discontinued. NO
| one in five hundred knew what the piece
were North they would think this YER.
strange.