II. GENERAL SKETCH OF THE OSWEGO STRAW- 

 BERRY INDUSTRY. 



Oswego is the center of the most important strawberry industry 

 of Kew York State. The leading natural advantages of this region 

 for the commercial production of strawberries is the lateness at 

 which the crop matures. When the berry season of New Jersey 

 and southern New York is past, the Oswego berries are in their 

 prime. The lateness of the crop is still further emphasized in the 

 selection of late varieties, as Atlantic, Parker Earle and Gandy. 

 The season opens about June 20tli and continues for three weeks. 



Oswego lies at the south-eastern corner of Lake Ontario. The 

 climate of the region is tempered by tlie lake, and the soil is well 

 adapted to many kinds of fruits. Next to strawberries, pears are 

 the leading fruit crop, and plums and otlier fruits are prominent. 

 It is at Minetto, in this region, that Schuyler ^Yorden originated 

 the Worden grape and the Worden pear. From Oswego as a cen- 

 ter, the fruit interests have spread until most towns in the county 

 (of Oswego) are now producing fruit to an important extent. To 

 the same geographical region belongs the tow^n of Sterling, compris- 

 ing that part of Cayuga county lying on Lake Ontario. The 

 Oswego strawberry district, therefore, is an area of considerable 

 geographical extent. 



Some Field Notes on Oswego Methods. 



In a region in which a special industry has developed, expert and 

 advanced commercial methods are necessarily to be found. A word 

 may be said in regard to two or three of the points in the Oswego 

 practices. 



The question is often asked — What does it cost to grow an acre 

 of strawberries? In order to answer this (piestion a number of 

 good growers in the Oswego region were asked for ligures of actual 

 cost, and the replies form the basis of the following table : 

 10 145 



