PICKING AND MARKETING. 599 



that section at that early date, all the berries had to be carted to 

 New York in wagons, crossing the Hudson at Hoboken. Quite 

 recently I met with Mr. Andrew M. Hopper, of Pascack, who 

 gave me several interesting points from his early recollections. 



" Mr. Hopper said : ' I am sixty-five years old, and can well 

 remember picking berries for my father, when a boy ten years of 

 age. At that time we had no crates as we have now, but packed 

 them in large baskets that we called hampers. 



" ' Our only shipping point to New York was Piermont, 

 on the Hudson, New York State, a distance of about eight 

 miles. 



" ' At this point there was a line of sloops that sailed semi- 

 weekly, when wind and tide permitted. In those days there 

 were no commission merchants in New York that dealt in berries, 

 and each farmer was compelled to go with and sell his own fruit. 

 The fare on these vessels was one shilling for a round trip, 

 board not included ; and as it sometimes required two days to 

 reach the city, each farmer provided a lunch for himself before 

 starting from home, as well as provender for his team, which 

 was lei't at the landing to await his return. The usual fee for 

 caring for the team while they were gone was twenty-five 

 cents.' 



"The Hautbois was the first named variety he could remem- 

 ber, which was introduced among them in 1835. In about 1840 

 the Scotch Runner was introduced at Hackensack. It was a 

 valuable variety for the growers, as it was hardy, a good bearer, 

 and the fruit grew unusually large for that period. An incident 

 connected with the introduction of this variety is worth mention- 

 ing, showing the eagerness of the cultivators to procure the 

 plants. 



" A gendeman living at 'Old Bridge,' which is a few miles 

 above Hackensack, secured quite a number of plants and set 

 them out in his garden for the purpose of propagating them, so 

 that he could in due time plant a large patch of them. The 

 vines being in great demand, his neighbors insisted upon his 

 selling them ; but this proposition he positively refused, and 

 the consequence v.as that, one night, some person entered his 

 garden and stole every plant he had. At this period and up to 



