Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-03-22
CANNING INDUSTRY.
A Large and Important One In Dorches
ter county, Md.

ter county, Md.
Flowing for early peas has begun
Maryland. This statement of itself do
not mean much to the public, but
bearing on large and growing indus
try in Dorchester county it possesse
important interest, 1 refer to the car
ming industry here in Cambridge an
III many villages all over the county.
Briefly stated, the fruit and vegets
bic Gamers in Dorchester county nun
Der about % houses, of which are il
Cambridge and Is scattered over th
fcoanty. These establishments put III
love. 8 900. GOO cans of fruit and veget
ab4ss annually, the entire output hav
ing a selling value of over $50 900
During four months of the year the,
employ about 1000 men, women an(
children and use the products IN vege
tables alone of 5, 900 acres of land.
have no means of knowing the exact
acreage required to supply peaches and
berries, as they buy from farmers ex-
cluslveIy and draw supplies from near
ly every orchard that is convenient.
But 1t is safe to say that these can
neries create a profitable home mark
ct and certain cash returns for nearly
or quite 1900 acres of peaches, thus
saving growers from the uncertainties
of the general markets and the charges
incident to transportation and com.
missions.
But for peas, tomatoes and other
vegetables the acreage is easily obtain
ed, because the canning establishment
contract with farmers and truckers
for the products of stipulated acreage.
These contracts are usually made in
the winter, the canneries contracting
only for what products they need and
allowing producers time to plan for
early vegetables, the cultivation of
W hich must be started with the first
song of the bluebird. Hence the re-
cent mild weather encouraged pro-
ducers who 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 & Son, of this city,
who in that year began to process fruits
and vegetables. In 1874 this house
combined oyster packing with their
business. 1t is therefore the pioneer
house in both these big industries that
have done 30 much to improve the
material interests of Dorset and help
so many of her deserving masses to SO.
cure profitable employment at a season
OF the year that i'll 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 their business, viz:
The farmers complain that the oyster
business and canneries take the help
they need on the farm and make it very
hard for the farmers to cultivate their
lands. Let Us see about this. Making
a very liberal allowance, it requires
about five 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
generally depend upon securing extra
help when he needs it 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, ETC.. and in
picking season the fields are crowded
with men, women and children pick
ing the vegetables for the canneries.
So it will be seen that whereas it re-
quires five men to cultivate 100 acres
Of land in cereals it will take only ESQ
men to work 5000 acres during the
period required for tillage and harvest
ing crops, The same acreage in vege
tables requires 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-
venientiy located to the canneries at
$4 to So an acre, thus giving him a
source of income he formerly did not
enjoy and releasing him from the work
of cultivating more than his condition
perhaps permits him to do in such
manner as to make it profitable. Again
it is fact that lands upon which toma-
toes are grown rapidly improve. Hence
the improved condition of lands here
in recent years and the satisfactory ad
vance in land values. Thesestatements
1 think, seem to show that the new in
dustry is rather far reaching in its good
effect upon all classes of citizens.
There are four canning houses in
Cam bridge, which employ in their
work season-from May to November
about 800 men, women and children,
both white and colOred. These people
mainly live in Cambridge and imme.
diate neighb hborhood. Those who work
by the day are paid from rs cents to
81 per dav, according to age and abili-
ty. Those who are employed On piece.
work make from so cents to $1.50 per
day. The Cambridge canneries haye
an output of about 100000 cans of
fruit and vegetables in tue aggregate
The IS canneries in the county outside
of Cambridge have capacity of con-
siderably more than {, 900, 900 cans an
nualIy and employ about 1880 hands