Evening journal., 1909-06-03
BERRY-PICKERS
IN OLD SUSSEX
For Several Weeks They Will
Live Simple Life in
Country
PLEASANT OUTING
WHILE MAKING MONEY

Thousands Of berry-pickers have in
vaded the green fields and cool woods OF
Sussex county and to-day are hard at
work in the berry patches and amid the
pea and bean plants Last week they
moved, bag and baggage, from the crowd
ed tenements in the courts and alleys OF
Southeast Baltimore TO the country. Now
for some weeks they will live an ideal
life in the open air.
All cooking will be done out of doors
over camp fires or in cook stoves erected
in some sheltered spot. The nights will
be spent in great airy barracks and the
days out in the fields The children will
return to the city healthy and robust, and
many incipient cases Of tuberculosis will
have disappeared.
Make Good Money.
In addition. the berry-piokers will carry
back TO their city homes with them
money-a whole lot Of H. The exact
the size OF the family-for even the little
children do their share OF work and. what
is more. enjoy 1t. It is considered a dis
grace to be left behind at the barracks
while everybody else is working in the
fields having a good time and earning
money.
The work is regarded in the light Of
play. After the disagreeable courts and
alleys, It Is a pleasure TO be out doors all
day even If ones back aches from bending
over and the sun Is hot. -
All is not work. Some days there are
not many berries to be picked. and only
d
times the evenings are light long after
work is over. and then there are the
beautiful moonlight nights when the lads
and lassies wander hand in hand through
the woods nd tho old folks gather round
the fires and tell ivories OF the old coun-
try and the little children shiver and
glance apprehensively over their shou:cers
as they hear OF goblins and fairies ana
spirits and ghosts and snch things.
There are some days. however. that are
hard. The berries or the peas ripen quick
er than they should. The weather man
says rain is coming and the farmers do
believe in his reports, and the berries
and peas have to be picked or the farmer
will lose the profits of a whole year &
work. Then the lines tighten and every
body is put to work. The smallest children
must work. too. The row boss appears
heartless as he urges the pickers some OF
whom are great-great-grsndmot and
others OF whom are tiny tots hardly able
to totter around to greater efforts and
Keeps them working all day and far into
the evening; but It is part OF the worlds
work, and the farmer who provides the
easy times must be saved from loss.
Row Boss is King.
This row boss is practically king Of ths
colony on each farm. His word is law. II,
picks no berries himself and stands arount
supervising the work OF the others. II,
makes up the colony in the city. is respon
tible for it's appearance on the farm a
the proper date, and settles all quarrel
and sees that every picker remains unit
the farmer says he needs them no longer
For when the season gets little dull an,
there is not much money to be made tn,
pickers like to 90 home, but this woul,
mean a loss for the farmer. so they mus
remain In fact, only certain percentag
Of what the pickers earn is given then
each week. so that they will not yield I,
temptation and run away. At the end o
: the picking season they draw this extri
cash and leave for home well provide,
for some time to come.
Are Mostly Foreigners.
The pickers are mostly Bohemians
, Poles and Lithuanians While on III
t farm they live in great barracks. The.
5 sleep on bunk-like arrangements on III
, floor. which are filled with straw. Fac
G family has a section assigned to It. an
e there the different members sieep-mer