Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-05-30
ARMY OF HARvESTERS.
THOUSANDS or LIVHY WORKERS.


08M CIV
SrT&HOUSANDS of men, women and
- chi dren armed with cooking uten-
49, sils and bed clothing have Just in
80 vaded Anne Arundel county. Here
60 they win remain until the last YES
tige of the seasons crop Of berries,
peas and beans have disappeared under
their operations. The invasion began
two or three days ago and still continues.
Wagon load after wagon load of humani-
~ has rolled over the Light street and
Harman's bridges. bound Tor the straw
berry patches, and the sloops, bugeyes.
canoes and PUNCHES that have sailed from
the County wharf, Baltimore have carried
to the truck farms along the river and
bay sides, big loads of passengers, all
bent on the same errand, that of reliev
ing the vines of their fruit.
The strawberry pickers are recruited
from the neighborhoods about the pack
ing houses in Baltimore, and they are of
almost every nationality. Bohemians,
Poles and Germans predominant. with a
fair sprinkling of Americans, Italians and
colored people. The work Is eagerly
sought. and Is regarded by many as big
frOlic. lasting as II does for Reyeral weeks.
1t affords those who engage In IL rude
sort of summer vacation. with opportu-
mites for making money instead OF spend.
Ing IL. and gives theH relief from the
city's heat and dust. Then, too. every
body is on precisely the same footing.
Age and experience count tor but little.
and the urchin of eight, IL his fingers be
nimble, can earn as much In a day as his
father, and IL he be smart as we'll can fill
himself with the luscious fruit. All these
things contribute to the pleasure of the
pickers, and on their way down they
shout and sing like crowd of school
children on picnic.
The strawberry season Is just opening,
and while very few barrels have been
picked as yet, everything about the truck
farms are In hustle getting things In
shape. AS soon as the pickers arrive
they are taken to the barracks" and left
to look out for themselves. The barracks
where the pickers live while on the farms
vary according to the means of the far
mer and the size OF his patch. The more
pretentious ones are long. low two story
buildings divided into small rooms. a
family being put into room, while the
whole building is made TO accommodate
from 90 to 100 persons. More often they
are simply old tenant-hoHses. There is
absolutely nothing in them when they
are turned over to the pickers. They
nave ID EU4hG ttAGtk OWh uOunCuOiu Ut
rangements, the only things furnished
by their employers being water and fire.
wood, and straw for bedding. The only
requirement of the grower 10 that the
building shall shelter certain number
of people. The pickers settle all diff
culties among themselves, and those first
on the grounds get the best quarters.
The life Is as near gypsey like as any
thing can be. The first thing done is to
build replace of mud In the open air,
which Is used in common by all the pick
ers, as Is the shed of boughs, where the
food is made ready. Then, IL there be
plenty of wood on the place, another
shed Is made, which serves as dining
hail. This is made by driving two rows
of stakes into the ground, the rows be-
ing about ten feet apart and the stakes
about eight feet apart for distance of
fifty feet. These stakes serve as supports
for roof of beughs. The shelter is a
splendid protection from the sun. but
leaks somewhat In rainy weather. The
barracks are used only to sleep in as a
general thing, and then. rs Mr.. w. s
Crisp. one of the best-kn0wn growers of
the county; expressed it." they have to
sleep close" On hot, dry nights the men
frequently sleep outside.
uO UkChCI6 UCkAu WI kr 0o q AutCs az
sunrise. BY this time they have finish
ed their breakfast, and go trooping out
to the berry patch to their days task.
They work under the direction of ''row
buss," or overseer, who assigns them to
the rows they are to pick, and keeps a
general lookout to see that they don't
trample the vines. pick green or decay
ed berries, or eat as many berries as they
pick. The berries are picked in the quart
boxes in which they are sold to the buy
er, each picker taking several empty box
es with him as he goes In the row. When
the receptacles are filed he takes them to
the tally keeper, who gives him u check
fer the number of filed boxes he hands
In. This tally keeper is generally bright
girl selected by the grower from among
the pickers. She Is given certain mum
Der of checks In the morning when pick
ing begins. and Is required to account
for them in filled boxes of berries. The
checks are of denominations of one. five.
ten and one hundred, and change is
made with them in the same way change
would be made in money. For instance,
II picker brings in eight boxes of Der
ries he is given "ten check" and re-
turns two .'ones." Every now and then
q picker's boxes are emptied into others,
duu IL IL lo AO0uu tuHt tAC HAS UCt74 DtCk
Ing unripe or spoiled berries he Is refns-
ed his checks, and If he persists In dis
obeying orders he is made to leave the
place.
A big tin horn usually announces the
dinner hour and brings about scene of
confusion. Everybody rushes to the tai
ly-keeper for checks for their berries.
and for some minutes she Is besieged by
the crowds. When the last box has been
checked she makes up her accounts and
goes off for her own dinner. For an
hour the barracks are in commotion over
the preparation and disposal of the mid
day meal, after which the men sit around
and smoke their pipes, while the women
gossip and prepare things for supper.
Then work begins again and keeps up
until or @ o cloch In the afternoon At
night, when work is done, the pickers
have their fun. II the farm on which
they are at work 10 on the water the men
90 swimming and the little ones strip of
and paddle and splash and jump around
under the watchful eyes of their moth
ers. Then the whole crowd gathers
around the barracks fire TO dance and
sing to the music of fiddle or accor-
dion, played with more or less skill.
Bedtime comes between 8 and 10 o'clock,
and one by one the pickers seek their
corners or roll themselves up In their
blankets. with the earth foI their bed