30G STATE HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



of the new sweeter varieties requiring much, if any, sugar or any other 

 condiments, to fit them to grace the table of the most fastidious. 



Mr. Hale of Connecticut has said: " Xo man should fool himself 

 into telling his wife that he has no time to bother with such small 

 trash as berries, but will buy all the family wants. He may not be 

 much of a liar, but those of us who have so often heard that old chestnut 

 about buying all the berries the family wants, know that man is away 

 oflF. He never did and never will buy one-tenth part as many berries 

 as the family will consume, if he will give them all they can wallow in 

 right fresh from the home garden." 



The right way to do is for each and every family in all this broad 

 land of ours, that has a rod or more of land, to grow enough for the 

 whole family. Every farmer should at least grow enough for bis family 

 and a few of his friends. This will help give the boys a longing for 

 the old home, and not half as many young men will care to rush to our 

 cities as there are at the present time. The acreage can be gradually 

 increased until he shall have some for market to help buy the little 

 necessaries for the dear ones at home. 



It will surprise some of my hearers the number of quarts of ber- 

 ries that can be grown in our country on an acre of land. This season, 

 1894, I sold nearly 11,500 quarts from one and three-fourths acres, and 

 they netted me nearly $1000. 



I am just beginning to learn the first principles of berry-growing, 

 and I hope to be able, by proper feeding of my plants, within the next 

 few years to show that it is just about as easy to get twice this amount 

 of fruit, and sell it for more than twice this sum, as it is to grow and 

 produce the amount that I am now doing. 



Strawberries will thrive and do well on almost any soil and on 

 every slope. You cannot find a rocky hill or valley in the Ozarks that 

 will not produce a fair crop of berries without fertilizers, if properly 

 cultivated. Therefore, any one who owns land in this section can have 

 no good reason for not growing plenty of berries. Southern exposure 

 will produce early berries and a northern slope will give you later 

 ones. 



I have found that new land, freshly cleared and thoroughly plowed, 

 grubbed and harrowed well, is the best ground for berries. Do not be 

 afraid to plow deep. If you can get your plow four feet into the 

 ground, so much the better. Do your plowing in the foil and winter, 

 so that the ground will have time to settle a little before spring. If 

 you do this work well, all that will be required in the spring will be to 

 harrow again, mark off and set your plants. 



