The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-19
A CANTALOUPE FARM.
The big Business OF Easterling Bros.
at Martin, Fla.


Martin. Fla. June ls.-There are silver
kings, cotton kings, cattle kings and rail-
road kings. to say nothing OF others cali
ed kings, because Of their great holdings
along certain lines of the industrial
world. A new king has been produced by
the state of Florida, namely. cantaloupe
king. This name is rightly applied to
Easterlins Bros, because they are the
largest growers of cantaloupes in the
world. They practically control the can
taloupe market Of the big cities of the
country.
A day with the Easteriings is interest
ing and instructive. whether spent in
the early winter when preparation for
putting in thousand acres of canta-
loupes and almost as many of watermel-
ons are being made, or whether It is in
the middle. and we must confess more
delightful, season of packing and ship
ping the delicious and sweetest juicy
fruit to market.
A Thousand acres in cantaloupes. that
require work steadier than that OF the
bee and rs swift as that of the ant to
get them to market i'm good shape, Is to
our mind the greatest test of a man $
business capacity on this earth II
seems like one man bossing ten million
frying griddle cakes, and the way the
business IS done, one would see a. once
not one would be spoiled, II attended with
the same skill as these great cantaloupe
growers look after every detail of their
business.
Here at Martin fifty teams and two
hundred hands. white and colored, swarm
the fields and the packing houses. and all
night and all dav the work continues fer
a little over a month.
Many yards Of bagging are securely
fastened TO pieces making what resembles
long cot. This is called the receiver
In this IS packed or piled many hundreds
OF crates from the field boxes. The pack
ers have crate stools and here assert and
size up the fruit and then hand these
heaped crates to the top nailers;" these
In turn hand them TO the car leaders. The
work is done with so much dispatch that
a car ds soon loaded and by night is be-
ing whirled at a great speed TO New York
Boston. Chicago or some OF great centers
Of population.
Experienced cutters, that is men who
know Just when melon or a cantsoupe
is ready to be cut, are In great demand
and command s. a day,
ager Of the firm. He goes far out West
in the Rocky Ford region ana looks
after his great interests there. He Is at
present here. The Florida cantaloupe
has been pronounced by connoisseurs TO
be the finest Favored and richest quality
that can be produced.
Commission men swarm around the
packing houses. and where you see a
cantaoupe farm there you will md plen-
ty of money in circulation. The Easter
ling firm pays almost all laborers a dol
lar day.
No eating is tolerated in the field or
while at work Every hand Is kept
busy by the overseers and the pay comes
TO the workmen as swift as can be I'm
agined. The merry negro laugh and the
silver ringing OF dollars have always been
the best omens Of good times. When the
pay roll is finished then the merchants
have high carnival with the money. As
a rule the workers on these farms are
very quiet No drunkards or bullies are
employed. The quietness OF the people Is
noticeable