Oswego Strawberries. 151 



More enthusiasm was manifested bj everybody. A. Bennett & Co., 

 who did tlie business to N. Y. in 1878 through J. K. Lyncii, sent A. 

 Fletcher as a representative, wlio has since continued to buy actively 

 through J. K. Lynch, Jr., of Oswego. F. G. Tice placed some of 

 his superb berries in a neat case-like tray, exhibited them to appre- 

 ciative people, received large orders, shipped on early forenoon 

 express trains without ice to preserve the flavor and received remu- 

 nerative reward for his enterprise. T. Halloway & Co., Boston, 

 and Bennett & Hall, competed actively for extra flne Atlantics pro- 

 duced by J. K. Prosser ; then his neighbors went into the business. 



" The benefit of applying scientific methods obtainable was 

 demonstrated to the advantage of everybody by W. S. Brownell, a 

 a young graduate of Cornell, whose berries and arrangement of 

 packages were wonderful and obtained prices that were never 

 attained before the year 1900. His invasion of the Syracuse mar- 

 ket wa^ a great success, although plenty of berries of the common 

 variety are grown in that vicinity. 



" The outlook for the season of 1901 is very bright. The finan- 

 cial condition of the country is excellent. The Pan-American 

 Exposition only five hours away from our fields by N. Y. Central 

 R. P., will require an immense amount of strawberries ; and the 

 Oswego growers should see that the show of berries is good." 



G. W. Baker's account of the heginning of the indibstry. — " I 

 •find by my books that the first strawberry train was started by Mr. 

 A. A. Bush in 1873. The first berries in this town were set by Mr. 

 Pensselaer Richards, of Oswego Centre, about the year 1853. The 

 plants were furnished by a nurseryman of Rochester, Wright by 

 name. Mr. Wright was to have one-half the crop as payment for 

 the plants. The principal kind was called Black Prince. Other 

 early growers were H. P. Fitc4i, A. S. Jenne, Seymour Coe, Henry 

 Rowe. Later on William Adams, William Stark, J. G. Warren and 

 manv others eno^ao^ed in the business. The Baker crate was the 

 first crate introduced in Oswego County, and is still in use. In the 

 early stage of the berry-growing the fruit was taken to market in 

 pails or baskets and found a ready sale at twenty-five cents per quart. 

 The first crate held forty-five two-quart boxes, nailed at the corners 

 like a small packing box. The boxes cost five cents each. The 



