The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-11-28
HOPPERS' HOLIDAY.
DESCRIPTION or THE ANNUAL OUT
ING OF LoNpoNs POOR.

/ u ~ ~ $1,000 - - -
Taking tho Midnight Train from the NE
tropolis-The Hop Pickers and Their
Employers - Beauties of an English
Landscape-At Work.
In spite of her many charitable institutions
and the thousands of pounds sterling which
are every year appropriated for her missions
and relief societies, England's poor impress
me as the poorest, the most degraded. and
pitiable wretches have seen In all Europe.
One realizes the cause and effect Of Social
ist rising in London better when he has
witnessed the want and penury which drives
these men to any alternative whose result
may be other than that which is already
theirs. However, 1t is not my purpose to pirate
of social reform or the thousand and one argu-
ments pro and con. Any reform seemed quite
impossible to me the other night as watched
acrowd of London poor pushing one another
around the corner leading toward the Ions
| don bridge railway station. l paused In
amazement. "Who are theyl What are
theyi Where are they goingw asked one
standing near. "Hoppers, was his reply, and
this was all that he vouchesafed to answer me.
listened to one of them, a gaunt, UNI
washed, unshaven fellow, holding child in
his arms, while another chung around his
knee TO avoid being swept away with the
passing crowd
"Me and tho little un's can pick up from
thirty to forty bushels day, and this littlest
I'm hops like any growed up folk"
BOUND FOR THE GARDENS.
Then | knew they were a party of hop
pickers bound for the gardens which have
made the south of England so famous for her
hops. They were making their way by
thousands to take the midnight train from
London. Kept back by line of police, who
made vigorous use of stout arm and club as
the crowd pressed forward, each anxious to
precede his neighbor lest the little round
window of the booking Office should be closed
before he got chance to secure the SHILLING
/ excursion in lieu of the flour shilling regu-
larn fare TO county Kent.
This is one of the sights of London at this
season-''the annual outing Of the slurnsn-
10000 of London's miserable poor off for
their yearly harvest, their luggage consist
ing OF tin KETTLE a saucepan, cup and
saucer, and a ragged cover, which they dig
Nifty by the name of blanket, while any
added luxury in the way Of knife or fork
may be begged, borrowed or stolen at their
earliest convenience. There were whole
families huddled together, some asleep ON
the sidewalks, others arranging the family
properties, while the head of the house
pushed his way with the others to the ticket
Office to buy, most likely, two tickets for
himself and wife, while family Of twelve
will be struggled in as under age,n and to
the credit OF the railway officials let 1t be
said that the ages of these children are never
4 l..
Der of the family be found among them At
midnight sharp the train STARTS leaving such
as have not arrived in time, OF such as can
not afford to pay the small fare, to tramp IT,
and l am told that Of the 10000 who go
down 5000 go by train, 1000 tramp it,
and about 1000 find their way down by
conveyance of one kind or another.
Although a few start on what Is known as
"a spec hop the majority Of these pickers
know exactly to what garden they are going,
as each year they try to return to the master
they were under the previous season. At the
beginning of each season the "hoppersn write
around to the various farmers, one man
often being the secretary for hundred or
more who can only sign their epistles with
tho time honored cross, and although they
are Of such rowing disposition, they never
fail to let their address be known when hop
ping season approaches They are replied
TO on postal card, telling them the date to
appear, and It Is worthy OF note that many
have been In the same garden from ten 10
twenty years, often living the entire eleven
months upon the savings from this one
profitable month of September. One old
woman has gathered the blossoms for over
forty,seven years, and tells me that good
season will produce over CO, 000, 900 pounds
- I.loes,,,,,c fx-o,,, fba Aadc of Pant
SLEEPING ACCOMMODATIONS.
1t Is pretty sight, the soft changing fields
Of autumn growing indistinct where that
haze peculiar to English landscape makes
changing lights and shadows over the green.
There begin the hop gardens, the long lines
of vines dotted with the figures Of the work
ers, while all around may be seen the whito
tents cleaning In the sunlight. These nre
| the sleeping accommodations Of the hoppers,
| far preferable TO the stuffy brick houses,
which are still to DO seen, but which have
been more or less deserted owing TO their
overcrowded condition, for these people seem
| TO avoid all that savors of their London life,
| and prefer the open air, with straw for beds
and pine boughs for pillows, to sleeping
twelve in room scarcely large enough for six.
| Each man on entering receives his number
stamped ON a piece of tin, which is usually
hung about bis neck, as 1t becomes precious
boon as time wears on, for by it the owner
can obtain food, faggots and doctors aid
when necessary.
| Work begins at the blowing Of the 0 a m.
| horn and ceases at p. M, and as systematic
a sequence of work Is followed as in any fac
! tory The men cut the hop vines close to the
ground, pull up the long poles to which they
are tied and lay them across the "horse,"
| kind of binn, at suitable height for the
women and children to pull Off the hops.
| Underneath hangs O sack into which the
blossoms are dropped. which Is enptied at
intervals by the italy man, who measures
the amount picked, notes It In his book 30 the
| credit of the hopper or throws 10 back upon
| his hands to be repicked, that is, sifted from
| the leaves. "a tally mans life is not happy
| one" Berated ON all sides, he must be stout
| both OF body and nerve to carry out. his
orders, and lucky is the ''tallyn who can bear
the brunt OF It, A good picker can earn
from 3s. to As. a day. His allowance Is 3D.
until the end Of the week, when the remain
der Is booked to his credit. The wise man
will avoid the pewter beer pot and village
bar, and return to London with good rs or
R10; but, alasl they are few indeed.
We inquired the use Of the odd stove pipes
which are SO noticeable among the gardens,
and were told they were cast houses. The
curious extinguisher like ventiIators are a
kind of kiln used for drying the hops. Large
quantities Of charcoal mixed with sulphur
are burned here to purify the hops. When
cool the hops are packed in pockets about
one hundred weight each, and shipped to
London, where they are q great object Of
speculation. Fortunes are made and lost
more rapidly In hops than in any other sta
pie product, said O farmer, who had the year
before lost everything he possessed in an UNI
fortunate hop transaction. = New York
Times. s
In one of the Italian quarters in New York
shave can now DO had for three cents. And