The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-10-02
GOING A.HOPPING IN KENT
,,y.0H az TWO AMERICAN
uJrIJN ~ ENGLAND.
,r.. =. r, from . Peculiarly NirOrtOas
n.dru IIoardinE House aud Weut
,.in Tie IIop Fields With the PielSers
Nrh q pleasant Experience % Mas.

.. '.nrram women for whom the
Igrnr- nave "A Fascination came
Ibis country last week. Their
,rrt on the otherside had been !
...' ~ going N-hopping in Kent
.-r~ staying IN "a particularly /
london boarding house said /
. 'r' and perhaps that made |
.se the idea Of going someW here. ,
... 10 get away from IL. Ger
.... gen W. read m daily paper :
sr.. " annual migration from the East
pra .. london tn the kentlsh hop fields
u.y.mp'ly decided tn migrate ourselves. /
80 Pm glish landlady visibly zhud-
.t--er ,r"n "" told her We were going
,o Ns.' ~ see the hop picker- az work. !
~ 20 sh" generally did shudder NJ
OIL. g Ne did. ~ We continued Ia
L,,r.. rl.,us wthuut notifying the police.
.'~ - = VERIFY r-rough lot. those
r.. .lf-.' IN" landlady warned ms.
.|.. that al" shipped on from the
sri, .. u"r words she always tucked IN
n, 'o..- aud thrr"S IN other places and she
49, .vl for lot
10 tHnv do NO worse. she declared.
re, ID flro~ down lawt of hops in
'7,r 80 vuu and man" YOU pay your
'..'n.
Nnv"rau' quite sure what this meant.
II. ..r tr"lr n !,htcning VS. into remain
.r- 20 beg rrr- 'rabl" boarding house IL
ar..Ily had an inviting sound Ia our
rr,'-., american ears. 30 We started
-. hort the very r"Xt morning The
g,,rrE "asnn - short. only a hight
~ 'ro end 81 August and the beginning
m september hut the fields Of the Med
-av fe-tconcd with miles Of hop gar
'.'ds. are tkrrnG"d during those two
socks with IN most motley crowd hat
ever came ,u' e tbn London slums.
10 most ~ them II IL their one annual
-lmu-s ~ th" country. Some Of these
rltV brds rare mes they are. too have
heeu coiuE a .uoyping all their lives. Their
Iaih"r- and mothers went before them
Thoir hildr"u ,~uIl 60 IN their turn In
fact thclr '..u hts come now. for the
hop fold A.. furry speckled with peram-
bpist"r- iu -" picking season. and every
fsramhu.itpr htrbors at least one little
,pckusy
The railroads run special trains for
'r. huprars don't know Just why these
'rilr- invariably leave at midnight. hut
they do They pull out in sections. loaded
%. m" bursting point with thousands 81
families ancumbered with most Of their
vnridlv g"nis
Ihey are forbidden to take any lURRaRe
mot cannot 10 put into the compart-
mont with thorn when We saw the per
.nrIlat"rs We tried To picture the com.
.Hrtuont- which had held them together |
vr'n the assorted pot and pans which
rr..' have danglcd at the heels ~ every
'trer migrating picker.
Dnc- clear "f London q nd fairly headed J
18th IN" trains h.gin dropping their
.H--'nSar- along the way like errauc
o. planters feeding gram into a furrow /,
.r ..y much the same manner we from
rur more conventional train were
i,i at Paddock wood We hadn't
.'..t.i t. go there. for the excellent I,
r,t..n that Ne had never even heard /
.t '." place.
BID" ma started blindiy out in the !
& -r,l direction ~ Kent trusting to ,
..s and IN. helpful disposition Of the /
-lrIn AZ home to bring ~ Ia a de-
-.rel rop haven. Our confidence was not
m... aced. We got on az one OF two
s'srHl-. hat only in tentative expert }
mental -pirit We consulted all the rail /
~ guards and pOrters along the route /
.-t omitted Ca our councils all the /
orr o." citizens who showed an interest 1
% .4- Affairs. and that included every |
n0Hy met.
''- consensus was overwhelming !
n Paddock Wood so a. Paddock Wood /
Ell. touched late on a lovely after !
r."r We had every reason to he salts !
''f Vth tho choice made for ~ by our
vav and citizen friends
|." village lies like an island IN The /
.'i'. - miles and miles Of mNuriant /
..u farms All the lovely green land I
.rag" Na- pune; Iated with tn" green
.--"'-. With their COW Is or hooded ven
'H'.r- - the casts These casts for
,.rr- the hops are a. characteristic
'"a ira - Ksnti-h Landscape a. a
Windmill - IN Holland
Paddock Wood wasn't big enough
..t-' ~ hotel The tavern wasn't
70 'rG BIT again appealed Ia a
%, 10y adviser the hooking agent this
aud he sent us 10 a private house
..r" iound comfortabl" enough
.r"r- and fare that ~as we'll. u was
I.'. 'uprpuRhly English We had had
"..-. ird tii'-n again but never mind
Co., 0'-sn "NPcci French chef ga
|'". wood
49,. hadn't far 10 GO to find signs u
100. DIFFERS IN IA. very out skirts Of
20 flag. ". came u bpIi a field wher.
30 a-I4y seemed 10 H. "i.Camped Dozens
rH.'" tents we're pitched there and
"~re busy spreading bundles Of
-... ranches on the ground IN these
... and covering them with -traN
' .r had felt Of these straw covered
r"- felt more rsconciled to the
b feather beds. two 81 which were
... = FOR us az our lodgings
'..- suCaEpment was Tor the piclsers
70 .rugle farm. 80 ~ them being there
PIP their way from London AZ night
7arlnE fire. for they d. most Of
... .ppking over open camp fires, the
.ra - the arcordiOns. the hum -
l'rsT and -natches Of singing. nov
.." Ten drowned by waves 81 gospel
from a big mission tent ~ the end
... frli all made up a picture and
.. s .u" al experience not easily d,Ipii-
q. for saturday night. well We weren't
~I'u-dAv night or We might have
..d a. our lardlAdy had. The
... ". barge shook their heads when
... .se - Saturday night
Oh, rum job takin care Of 'en then
't
..ITA % must have been. For on
.... aud sunday tho whole district
'l'HIn easy reach - London all
...i. ard -"lative- who have failed