The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-22

for use by the compOst-makers or the
mills where the cheaper grades or paper
/ are made and stack the poles into tidy
piles against the next seasons use. In
this way a hop-garden is cleaned up rs
closely as if swept by an army OF grass
/ hoppers or an all consuming IRE.
In the meantime huge fOur-wheeled
carts and wagons are gathering up the
/ hops for the ''oasts" or lIilns. The mas
teri usually measures the hops from the
| bins. Pickers are paid on the basis OF a
| certain agreed upon number OF bushels
! TO the shilling-fOur, five, six or even
| eight according to the leanness or fairness
/ of the crops. Precedent old as hops In
/ Kent demands that he shall not have a
| "heavy hand" that is that he shall not
not press together the hops taken from
the bin; and an equally unimpeachable
custom will not permit him to pack or
| heap the almost weightless stuff in the
measures. Scores of keen and
almost savage eyes are upon
his every movement. ''Th ops
must hover " IN the bushel. or be
dropped in it as lightly as can be and
We're the bushels heaped an iota above
their rims the master knows that in
stead Of hops a series of strikes and riots
would instantly be on his hands. Fol
lowing him is always the tally-man who
credits the measurement to each ''set" in
the "tally-bOoks 80 and the custom is that
the pickers may at any time draw in cash
to the amount of three-fourths of what is
due; the remaining one-fourth to be
forfeited should the pickers leave the
master before his crop is gathered.
All sorts Of signals are used to bring the
pickers together in the morning and
afternoon. Some of the old farm-hOuses
have belfries and bells. At others hand
bells are rung in and about the pickers'
mon and the conch-shell horn is not in
frequent. Work begins shortly after
dawn The midday rest as well as
quitting time at night are indicated by
the master or the tallyman entering the
field and shouting No more poles -
This is in turn shouted by the pole
pullers; and at once scores, and often
hundreds, of pickers' voices will echo,
frequently derisively, and always in mimi
cry the order for temporary release from
toll In many fields the pickers wed their
cry to improvised doggerel rhymes fitted
to the air of the latest popular London
music-hall ballads, and make much
melodious clamor as they are leaving the
fields.
Most experienced men are employed in
the casts or kilns. They get no rest dur
ing the season of hop-gathering, except
from Sunday morning until Monday
morning. From six to eight small brick
stoves are cons family burning in each
kiln. Charcoal and smokeless Welsh coal
are solely used and a dash of sulphur is
occasionally added, which gives the dry
ing hops a slightly yellow tinge. About
eight feet above the cement chambers en-
closing the stoves is an open floor con-
structed of strips like laths On this is
laid loosely woven covering of horse
hair; and upon this hOrse-hair cloth the
Ill =
twelve inches. They are frequently
gently turned, and remain in the Kiln for
eleven hours, an hour being allowed for
the change from a dry to green "shift"
of hops, each of which consists of about
500 bushels. The dry hops are then
spread on the floor of the cast, not only
long enough to cool, but also to regain a
certain amount of atmospheric moisture,
without which they would remain brittle
and break into slivers and dust. They
are now packed in pockets" or long,
strong bags, holding few pounds above
one hundredweight, and are ready for the
London market.
OF the 80, 600 to 100000 souls who Sc
cure nearly a months lucrative employ
ment in the hop-gardens of Kent, perhaps
one-third are Kentish cottagers and vii
layers. The remainder are from the low
lest and one might say the most hopeless
classes of London and immediate sub
urbs; although a sprinkling of respecta-
bility leavens the latter in a few broken
down folk who have seen better days, and
invalids with lung and throat troubles
who have been told that the country air
and a long smell o. the ops" would re-
ieve their ailments But this great army
of pickers which each year takes posses
sion of Kent, divides instantly and sharply
into three grand divisions.
The first comprises the Kentish rural
and village folk. These areGfayorites with
the masters. They include the entire
families of the farm laborers, the hedge
builders, the drain-layers, the hop-dryers
and all countryside folks while from the
village comes the painter, the shoemaker,
the saddler, the carpenter, the brick
layer and stonemason, and all their fami-
lies; while l have even seen the family of
the schoolmaster and the poor country
curate not ashamed to thus add to their
yearly dole. Separate fields are nearly
always given to these folk. Among them
YOU will find most interesting groups /;
lusty youths, handsome lasses, fine and
rugged old men and women, and some of
the peachiest and prettiest children in
all England. To these hop-gathering days
have bright genial, almost social as
pect. When the days work is over, as
they trail along the lanes and highways
TO JnGlf village homes, Iuey IOfLl WON
derfully pastoral groupings, fitting so
characterfully into the mellow and re-
poseful Kentish autumnal landscape, that
it is a pity the near worlds metropolis
has no artist heart and hand to transfer
TO canvas their marvellous simplicity and
winsomeness.
Another class numbering all told from
5000 TO 5000 souls, whose guest have al
ways been whenever visiting the hop
gardens of Kent, are the London and
suburban Gypsy van jewellers. | have
previously written extendedly of this
class. Its members, living in vans or
house wagons of every conceivable
description, circle around and around the
outer edges of the great city; lowering
like birds of prey near race-tracks, outing
resorts, and all places where crowds of
the lowly may gather. am glad to say
that while any dukkering and
dicl1ering among the hop-garden
throngs is never overlooked by
them, that they always come here for
honest work. They travel in their creak-
ing vans which contain all that may be
required for food and cooking; pitch their
hooded tents or ''whummel" their single
carts for additional housing; are adopts
at all the little shifts and exigencies Of
outdoor living; are really the best con-
ditioned of all the foreigners" who
sweep in upon Kent; and as to morality
and common decency, which are generally
utterly abandoned in the hoppers' camps,
they are infinitely superior to all others