148 Bulletin 189. 



region. This we are glad to do, because we believe that such his- 

 tories should be preserved, that thej add dignity to agriculture, and 

 that they inspire interest and confidence in the business. These 

 records have been compiled for us by many persons, some of whose 

 names appear below and to all of whom we desire to express our 

 gratitude. AVe are under particular obligation to the officers of tlie 

 transportation companies, and to George A. Davis, Mexico, Oswego 

 County, for the statistics of strawberry shipments. 



" History hy D. T. MGlne7meij^ -^9^- American Express Co.^ 

 Oswego. — The strawberry business of Oswego County came into 

 existence in 1863, when Morris Pierce brouglit into the city of 

 Oswego a few quarts of cultivated strawberries and placed them on 

 sale at the stand of Thos. Hart to be gazed at as a curiosity by 

 hundreds of persons and sold at one cent per berry. The price 

 realized and the interest created so stimulated the new born industry 

 that Wm. Adams, Seymour Coe, Justin Janny, W. J. Stark and a 

 few others commenced the cultivation of strawberries to the extent 

 of about 100 quarts per season each, and prices assumed a more 

 natural tone. 



" In 1866, the tirst shipments were made from Oswego, and went 

 by boat to Ogdensburg, N. Y., Kingston, Out., and Montreal, and 

 by rail to Watertown a!id Syracuse, N. Y. The varieties grown 

 were the Scarlet and the Wilson. For shipment to Canadian ports 

 and Ogdensburg the berries were put up in crates about four feet 

 square, requiring four men to handle. These crates held about 300 

 quarts. 



" In 1868, the trade extended to Home, Utica and Albany, and 

 prices realized were about 6 cents per quart, the style of crate 

 changing to a 4:5-quart and a 90-quart. 



"In 1872, tlie strawberry growing extended to other parts of the 

 county east of Oswego city, and trade was opened with New York 

 city. The tirst strawberries sent to New York were shipped in 

 1872, by express in al)out 100 crates, over the D., L. & AY. R. R., at 

 a cost of $1.00 per crate for transportation. 



^ In 1873, J. Ileagerty sent 100 crates to Philadelphia by tug to 

 Fair Haven, N. Y., thence by Lehigh Valley P. P. A cooperative 

 association was formed by the growers in 1876, by which a special 



