Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-27
AMONG THE BERRY PICKERS
The Army That Annually Invades Anne
Arundel County.
How the Truckers Get Their Peas and
Berries to Market-ProAts
Of the Business.
Correspondents Of The Evening Star.
SEVERN, Anne Arundel Co., !


than the ''Coxeyites." and the rank and file
are for the most part on Blended knees. tYt
not in prayer. nor are they preying on the
community. or making any demonstration
as to work or wages. They are content with
the work before them end the compensa-
ton. This army is composed mostly OF
Poles. Bohemians. Germans and other for
eigners. who come out from Baltimore. With
the colored contingent within a radius OF
five miles there are nearly 5000 engaged in
picking peas and Strawberries at this time
Fully three-fourth; Of this force are the
foreigners and their families, " lille the col
ored are native and from the adjoining
counties. The home force. when the Polish
are engaged. have to give up entirely to
them. and should the family desire a mess
Of berries or peas they must get 1t through
the row boss" Not SO with the coiored
force. for they work right along with the
home force. The picking season requiring
outside help generally lasts about six weeks.
commencing In May. This year the good
picking commenced about the 14th. The
berry picking is now about over, as is the
peas will keep the force here ten days lon
ger, the home force being sufficient to man
age the rest of the truck.
To the uninitiated the scenes incident to
for the trucker, IL he desires Poles. to en-
gage them In Baltimore through ROW
boss" few weeks before wanted, giving
the number required. the time. &C. The
boss usually charges 80 cents apiece for
each hand he secures and arranges for his
weges-from 81 to SO per week, with the
privilege OF picking at the usual rates. Dur
Ing the season he keeps tally. sees TO the
measuring, &c. Generally the transporta-
ton is arranged for, as are certain privi-
leges-a keg Of beer at times. carrying In a
number on Saturday, &c. Such proportions
mas the system attained that not infre-
Quently do the row bosses" come out from
Baltimore early In the spring, looking for
the most promising patches to work, and
make a bargain on the ground. Just before
the Tune set Tor the operations to commence
me trucker drives his wagon into Baltimore
light and In the evening returns with his
force wagon loaded with men, women and
children and household articles Including
papy carriages. Arriving at the home pro
tem they md picker shanty''-a plain
frame building. with bins to hold the straw
and furnish lodging places, one being allot-
ted to family. A large doorway and an
opening or two furnish ventilation. The
cooking and eating is all done outside each
family having Dutch oven. and these with
rough bench or table at which meals are
taken, are usually shaded by a bower Of
tree branches. With but few of the conye-
niences or Comforts Of life, these people
spending two-thirds Of their time In the
field, manage to live the short season, and
many or the younger. especially the girls,
seem to regard the few weeks as a holiday
Tie gangs number from a small family OF
five or six to as high as 100 flor some have
In peas and berries as high as lOO acres)
Saturday is usually an OF day. and those
who do not go to Baltimore arrange their
house and clothing for Sunday or Saturday
evening.
The Pickers' Saturday Night.
At some OF the "shanties" IN the evening
there Is a gala time, for some who have
been in town will have returned. or perhaps
lot of provisions. included In which are
kegs Of beer. will have arrived, and soon
after voices will be unlimbered in song and
laughter. Among the pickers are some per-
formers on the violin or flute. and they as
sist the vocalists. While the melodies OF
'fader land" are often heari that the nick
ers are becoming Americanized is appar-
ent from the manner they render "Af.er
the Ball." Sweet Marie" and other songs
OF the day. Some Of the girls are quite
comedy. Although unable to speak our
language. 1t is not dificult to speak a lam
guage through eyes. which is easily under
stood by our young men. and not infre-
Quently a picker girl and partner may be
seen enacting psntomime. In more than
one case have such girls become farmers
wives
There are some pickers who have been
mere Tor years In succession. and with ex-
perience obtained in the past they make
their quarters homelike as possible
These steady hands are appreciated in va
rious ways by the trucker, and the COM
shows 1t. While most OF the force may be
classed as poor people. there are many
who are well fixed as to this worlds goods
and own their homes In Baltimore Many
work IN putting up oysters In season. pick
here in May and June. and then go to the
cauLing houses In the upper counties or
city. Some will leave here soon for six
weeks work in Delaware. The amount
fhaxy
for a cent and a half per quart for picking
berries and fifteen cents per bushel for big
peas and twenty for little peas the picker
averaging from two to three hundred
quarts or berries and six to twelve bushels
OF peas daily, which soon counts up to a
goo6ly sum.
Most Of the Poles and Rohemians are
Catholics. and sometimes their priests
come out from Baltimore to hold services
on Sunday. or to visit the sick Usually
the services are held where the larger
gangs are Quartered, and. the fact having
been previously announced a congregation
respectable in size participates. Among the
Germans there are many Lutherans and
Catholics, and on one place German
Methodist church of Baltimore has a rep
resentation Of eight or ten families, who
appear to be as happy as It is possible
to be.
Modern Industry.
A quarter OF a century ago there was no
such farming in Piney Woods as at present
for the principal crops then were tobacco
corn and potatoes. a few Strawberries and
peas being grown for family use and to MI
corner in retail load. Now there Is
scarcely a place of few acres on which
there is not a strawberry patch or field of
peas. and no one now is regarded as a
| trucker IL he has not one or the other
Generally the home force the family with
the regular labor. is sufficiently large TO
care for the other truck, but berries and
peas coming all together necessitates out
side help; hence the ROW boss" and pick
ers" are brought into service. Doubtless
there are other sections Of the country
where berries grow. well as I'm Anne
Arundel county, but II is doubtful IL better
berries or yield can be found anywhere
This season both yield and quality have
been satisfactory, In some cases over one
hundred crates (six thousand quarts) OF
fine fruit having been picked from a single
acre. The old Stewart Is now seldom heard
of. as the Wilson and the Downing and
Kentucky Late are mostly raised, The
Candy, Tubb's and other new varieties
were shipped In larger quantity this wear
| than ever before. Some OF our fruit found
! Its way to Washington. but the bulk was
| sent to Baltimore while from the station
above Harmon'S shipments were made
by the car load direct to Pittsburg Ros-
| ton and other points.
1t would interest one of the unin formed
| to witness the systematic manner the force
work under the boss" The patch 10 be
picked having been pointed out to the
boss" the farmer need give himself no