Cranberry picking in New Jersey is one of the busiest times of the year for folks in the Pine Barrens. Harvesting season can run from Labor Day through October. The cranberry industry has been around for a long time in New Jersey, dating back to the 1840’s. This date is established by a state agricultural record showing that a man by the name of John Webb had established a cranberry bog in Ocean County.
Technology and cultivation practices have changed cranberry production a lot over the years. Cranberries used to be picked by hand but are now either flood harvested or collected using mechanical pickers.
This picture shows a scene from the cranberry harvest in September of 1910. The little girl is ten year old Rose Biodo. She is carrying two pecks of berries, likely heading for a truck that is parked as close as it can get to the cranberry pickers. This scene was captured by Lewis Hine and is part of a National Archives gallery exhibit called Picturing the Century.
There are plenty of kids think they have it hard today if their parents don’t provide them with a cell phone and rides to where ever they want, whenever they want. Times sure have changed.