Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-27
BOYS MOBILIZED
FOR WORK SAVE
BIG PEACH CROP
Life Made Healthful and At
tractive at Community
Camps

Hammonton, N. j., Aug. 81. -
While the farmers of other regions
are crying to the cities for help to
save the crops, the fruit growers of
this region are harvesting their
peaches by the aid OF boys gathered
from every part of the state and even
pennsylvania. This has been made
possible through the cooperation oG
the various city and county branches
of the Y. NJ. c. A. and particularly
those of Camden city and COUNT
Each of the latter is CONDUCTING
special camps for the boys and keep
ing them filled for the farmers.
But for these boys there undontt-
edly would have been no peach har-
vest this year. Farmers had virtually
given up hope of getting sufficient
labor to pick and pack the fruit,
because of the scarcity, when tn..
Camden county Y. NJ. c. A. opened
its berry picking camp at Waterford
and another at Sicklerville, some
time ago. That proved the opening
wedge. So well did the boys do in
the latter places that the peach grow
ers began to send in appea,s for
similar assistance. AS a result. when
the berry seascI ended the Sickla ar-
| Vile camp was moved bodily to
| Glassboro, while the Waterford camp
was brought here
Varied Work
In the peach camp the boys are
set to various kinds of work, ac-
| cording to the needs and the
weather. When the extremely hot
weather came on for a few days.
many were set to work making
crates for packing peaches. Every
crate is made right here on the
| farms. Those supplies, made then,
have been exhausted, so that each
day now some of the boys are de-
| tailed to make more crates while
others go out into the orchards and
send in the fruit in baskets.
In the packing houses the boys sort
! the fruit according to size and quality
while others fill the carriers and then
pack the completed crates. The final
| operation there then becomes the
mailing up of the crates and stacking
| ready for the trucks. This goes on
! throughout the day. So proficient
! have the boys become that the aver
age for two experts in the region, 259
crates packed by each daily, has been
closely approached. Several of the
! boys who never before saw a peach
packed now average 225 crates daily
Camp Life is Fine
The camp life of the youngsters is
ideal They live in large, airy tents
| Just off the White Horse pike, under
a stretch of trees that provides excel
! lent shade. Their breakfasts are
preared for them before they arise in
the morning and by the time they
are ready to sit down steaming hot
Nictuals are set out in large mess
tents. At noontime, to prevent hav-
| ing the boys eat dried-out food car
ried off in the morning, Secretary
and Mrs. Rash, with Mr.. Arroll,
make up the noon lunches and these
are packed in boxes in an automobile
and carried out to the boys in the or
chards or packing houses. In this
manner they get fresh sandwich hes
and other food in midday.
In the evenings there are steamins
hot dinners for all. Afterward there
are all sorts of amusements. A large
amusement tent is provided. A vic
trola and other musical instruments
are kept in camp. There are two
large lakes near by where the boys
take their plunges, always under the
eye of either Mr.. Rash or Mr.. Ar
roll The boys now in the camp have
| been gathered from Philadelphia,
Camden, Atlantic City, Moorestown,
Morristown, Newark, Clifton, Ridge
wood, Hammonton, Pleasantville,
Burlington and other points.
MISS SHoAFF REURNS
Miss Maudeline Shoan, secretary to
City Clerk r. Ross Seaman, has re-
turned from two weeks vacation at