Straivberry Culture in the South. 31 



supply here was liirge, our berries have won the front rank and sold freely 

 at fair prices, when those grown here can scarcely be sold at any price. On 

 one occasion, Avhen the larger part of our crop had to be sold here or lost, 

 we were told by the autocrat of the market that our fine Wilsons were too 

 crude and sour to be sold in this market ; that such had justly been dis- 

 carded at the North and East, and would tind the same fate here. Such 

 wholesale slaughter of our favored variety touched off the lingering Scotch 

 of our nature. We quickly told him we were prepared to test the truth of 

 his assertion ; that if he could furnish no better berries than were then in 

 his house, Ave would force him, within ten days, to buy our berries or lose 

 his trade. In less than ten days he bought freely from our merchant. Last 

 season berries from Madison sold on order, in liberal quantities, in this city, 

 at from twenty to forty cents per quart, when those grown here commanded 

 twelve to twenty cents per quart. It is well understood by St. Louis and 

 Chicago fruit merchants that berries grown on these compact, clay lands in 

 central Mississippi not only command the highest prices in their cities, but 

 can nearly always be safely reshipped to the more distant cities of the great 

 Northwest. It may be asked, how about the berries grown in the sandy re- 

 gions of Florida, that carry to New York and even Chicago in such attractive 

 shape ? We can not explain this apparent exception to what seems the gen- 

 eral rule in regard to other sandy soils of the South. Possibly the modifying 

 influence of a salt water atmosphere, together with the cooling process of 

 shipping in refrigerators, may in a great degree account for the facts in re- 

 gard to their berries. 



Fruit completing its ripening process in retarding houses, or a cooler at- 

 mosphere than that in which it develops, is known to be not only attractive 

 but of most excellent quality. Reduced temperatures check fermentation, 

 which is the first stage of decay, and the fruit ripening slower and more 

 uniformly preserves all of its good qualities. 



The subject of having all of our tender fruits and vegetables transported 

 in reduced temperatures, and our merchants keeping them in such until 

 sold, detnands the most earnest consideration of commercial horticulturists. 

 We regard this subject of such vital importance to our material interests, that 

 we ask this Society to give it some attention at a suitable time during this 

 meeting. We have thus alluded to the leading soils of the South, and brought 

 forward some facts bearing on the relative merits of our berry producing 

 soils. To dwell longer in a paper like this on this jDart of our subject would 

 be to give it undue prominence. 



We now come to our second division. What varieties best suit our South- 

 ern soils and latitude ? This subject is full of interest to all who desire the 

 best success for eitlier home or commercial use. Probably the people of no 

 section of our country have paid out more money for new and unnecessary 

 varieties than we of the South. Growers are mainly divided into three 

 classes: 1. Those ever on the lookout for S(jmething new and wonder- 

 ful, who are good subjects for our annual picture and sample "peddlers;" 



