A Sunday in a peach orchard

In his early years as a fruit grower in South Berwick, Sam Chute had a fine orchard of peaches near his home and the quality of that fruit drew many visitors to the area during harvest time.

Sunday being a day of rest for the fruit pickers employed by Mr. Chute, there was nobody guarding the trees. A curious friend of the future “Apple King� of the Annapolis Valley offered to observe the orchard for one day and report his findings to the owner.

About 9 a.m., two neatly dressed young men were seen to enter the orchard. One of them began to gather peaches by beating them off the tree with a long pole, thus securing the choicest fruit. He then resorted to shaking the tree, and acquired enough fruit to fill every available pocket. His partner, meantime, climbed another tree and, after shaking, had taken enough to also fill his pockets. The two left by the northeast corner, both admiring their well-rounded pockets.

After that there came, very slowly, two young men and a boy, who proceeded to help themselves. The appearance of a young lady and a child from the south startled them and they fled into the woods, one reminding the other to watch out for the wire fence.

During the noontime dinner hour, a girl dressed in a white and blue dress entered. She carried a basket in each hand. Soon, two boys joined her and they proceeded to fill the baskets. One of the boys climbed into a tree and bent down a branch heavily laden with peaches and one-half of the valuable tree was broken completely off. The baskets carried by the fair young lady were soon filled and the party left, going in a south-westerly direction.

Next came a young man in grey, who apparently was not interested in picking peaches from the trees. After attempting to open a crate, he disappeared to the west.

Three men who, from their dress might be supposed to be going to church, then entered from three different directions, eventually meeting by previous arrangement. They helped themselves and went west.

A big man with a cane took a seat on a barrel and viewed the landscape. Three men entered by the north fence and came into view of the big man. One of them explained, “There is old Silas,� and they quickly hid in the bushes. At the appearance of another party, they escaped into the woods and failed to acquire any peaches.

A man wearing a light brown overcoat and carrying a cane then came upon the scene, entering from the northeast. He entered into conversation with the big man on the barrel. They both walked away to the west. Soon, the man in the overcoat re-appeared alone and proceeded to help himself, shaking the tree and using his cane to secure the finest fruit.

Enter next two well-dressed men carrying a small box. They went down one row, returned by the same row until they reached a barrel in which a larger box was filled from the small box.

Along came a man attired in a dark suit and wearing a light shirt. He helped himself freely and followed on to the west.

Two young ladies and a little girl in gala attire arrived and, at once, proceeded to business. They shook the trees and filled their dresses with fruit and were joined by a lady dressed in red, who tried to open a nailed crate. A tall man with a sled was seen chasing two boys out of the orchard.

In all, 35 people were seen in the orchard on this one Sabbath. The owner had also suffered losses in berries, plums and pears in the same manner.