Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-03-21
EASTERN Shore CANNERIES
One of the Most Important In
dustries of That Section. 3I
THE HISTORY OF THE BUSINESS
In Cambridge 1t Dates FROM
About the Year 1870. ii
There Are About e2 Houses In Dorchester
County, Which Put up About 9,Oo0,0O0
Cans Annually = Appreciated by the
Farmers.

~ OhfnpftuRtY Mu.; CurI6spCnueub
writes as follows: Flowing for early
peas has begun in his region. This
statement of itself does not mean much
to the public, hut as bearing on s,large
and growing industry IN Dorchester
county 1t possesses important interest
Irefer to tho canning industy here ID
Cambridge and in many villages Nil
over the county.
F.. Briefly stated, the fruit ard vegetable
Gamers in Dorchester county number
about % houses, four Of which are in
Cambridge and Is scattered over the
county. These establishments put up
over 5000, coo cans of fruit and yeee.
tables annually, the entire output hav-
ing a selling value Of over $50, 600.
During four months Of the year they
employ about $500 men, women and
children and use the products in yege-
tables alone of 5,0C0 aoies vt land.
havs no means OF knowing the exact
acreage required to supply peaches and
berries. as they buy from farmers Elk
clusiyely and draw supplies from nearly
every orchard that is convenient but
1T is safe to say that these cauneries
create profitable home market and
certain cash returns for nearly or quite
1000 acres of peaches, thus saving
growers from the uncertainties OF the
general markets and the charges Incl
dent to transportation and commissions.
But for peas, Tomatoes and other ytRe-
tables the acreage is easily obtained,
because the canning establishment con-
tract with farmers and truckers for the
products OF stipulated acreage. These
a tTni N
winter, the eanneries contracting only
for what products they need and allow.
ing producers time to plant for early
vegetables. the cultivation of which
must be started with the first song of
tine bluebird. Hence the recent mild
weather encouraged producers whv hold
contracts To start their work for the
spring. which give the lands hereabouts
a pleasing show of farming activity.
The history Of the canning industry
dates from 1870 The pioneer house was
James Wallace Il SON Of this city, who
in that year began to process fruits and
vegetables. In 1874 this house COM
bined oyster packing with their bust
ness 1t is therefore tho pioneer house
in beth these big industries that have
done so much to improve the material
interests Of Dorset and help 80 many Of
her deserving masses to secure protita-
BILE employment at season of the ear
that in former days offered little chance
to make living after the farmers had
hired the help they needed.
Here is an interesting statement In
connection with this business, viz. The
farmers complain that the oyster bust.
ness and canneries take the help they
need on the farm and make il very hard
for the farmers to cultivate their lands.
Let us see about this. Making very
liberal allowance, it requires about fiye
men to cultivate 100 acres OF these
lands in cereal crops. Now the farmer
does not necessarily have to hire all
his help by the year, for he can gener-
ally depend upon securing extra help
when he needs 1t most. Hence he
probably does not carry more than two
thirds of bis work people through the
year, and these he needs all the time.
1t requires about 10 men to work 100
acres of peas, tomatoes, &C., and in
picking season the fields are crowded
with men. women and children picking
the vegetables for the canneries. So
1t will be seen that whereas IL requires
fivs men to cultivate 100 acres OF land
in cereals it will take only $50 msn to
work 1000 acres during the period re-
CURED for tillage and harvesting crops.
The same acreage in vegetables re-.
quires a regiment of $50 men for the
mere cultivation and several thousands
of all sorts and conditions OF People
during the picking season. and there
is further fact Of interest to the
farmer. The home demand for vege-
tables enables him to rent lands con
veniently located to the canperies at "a
to 50 an acre, thus giving him source
OF income he formerly did not eDjoy
and releasing him from the work OF
cultivating more land than his condi-
tion perhaps permits him to do in such
manner as TO make 1T profitable. Again
it is fact that lands upon which
tomatoes are grown rapidly improve.
Hence the improved condition of lands
here in recent years and the satisfactory
advance in land values. These state
ments, | think, seem to show that the
new industry is rather far reaching 10
its good effect upon all classes of citi.
Gems.
There are four oanninghouses in Cam
bridge, which employ in their work
season-from May to November about
500 men, women and children, both
white and colored. These people
mainly live in Cambridge and imne-
diate neighborhood. Those who work
by the day are paid from % cents to 81
per day, according to age and ability.
Those who arc employed on pieceworls
make from 80 cents to Sl.50 per day.
The Cambridge canneries have an out
| put OF about 1000, 900 cans of fruit
and vegetables In the aggregate. The
IL canneries in the county outside Of
| Cambridge have capacity of CON
siderably more than 100000 cans
annually and employ about 1880 hands.
The contract area for the lands neces.
sary to supply the Cambridge houses il
| l, 200 acres for tomatoes ana 700 acres
for peas. The outside houses REQUIRE
an acreage of more than 5000 for the
vegetables they use.
In connection with the labor en-
| ployed here in this business will state
that James Wallace Il Son use atbul
100 hands each year, who al q foreIpners
They are of all nationalities and ar,
Industrious, frugal and reliable. Thes,
people come in families, and as it il
rather a problem to house them In gu,
crowded and growing city the firu
built large barraok on farm on,
mile from tine factory, whery eaoi
Efsmily is allotted a separate little hous,
during the season. This arrangement
has been found to work very we'll, ant
besides it separates the foreign from
the home element and no doubt pre-
vents friction that the mixing of race
unagoidably produces. H.
| The schedule OF pay for piokin,
tomatoes is 81 ton, and for peas is t,
| 20 cents per bushel of pods. In thes
lands tomatoes average about five ton