390 BOARD OF AGKICULTURE. • 



CONDITIONS OP SUCCESS IN GROWING STRAWBERRIES. 



BY E. B. DAVIS, CARTERSBURG. 



To begin, I would say there are a few fundamental principles under- 

 lying or leading to successful fruit growing. And then there are a variety 

 of accomplishments which could correctly be called successes. I have 

 grown, on 400 hills, as fine beiTies and seemingly as many as could well 

 be matured, considering the effort a success; I have grown patches as 

 much for the pleasure and beauty as for the fruit and have met with suc- 

 cess; but I presume the success Ave are to consider here is the kind 

 that makes glad the pocketbook— the kind that makes a good bank bal- 

 ance. This latter success I have also had. Then what are the conditions 

 of these successes? The man, mai-ket, soil, plants, insect and fungous 

 diseases we have to combat. 



The man must be a natural horticulturist and love his work and in 

 many respects he must be a genius. He must learn at the beginning that 

 a fine crop of fruit without a market will never land a bank account; that 

 a good market with very inferior fruit will never compensate him; that it 

 doesn't pay to begin on a big scale, but better do a little at a profit than 

 much at a loss; that as his knowledge increases his capacity to conduct a 

 more extensive business increases; that he must be genius enough to know 

 where to locate, what and how much to plant, how to market, etc. He 

 must understand soils, fertilizers and varieties; he should understand 

 botany and entomology; in short, he must be fitted for this business or he 

 will never be a winner. Laziness and success don't go well together. 



The man and market are very closely related; the man can make the 

 market and often the market can make the man— hustle. 



I have always made it a rule to dispose of my fruit in nearby towns, 

 rather than ship to large cities, where the i-eturns are in proportion to 

 the commission man's conscience; and another strong point in favor of 

 home market is the opportunity to build up a fancy trade by educating 

 your customers to appreciate a good article. Your fruit goes directly to 

 customers- instead of being used to top-dress somebody else's inferior ber- 

 ries. Use a private stencil on every box, be it pint, quart or crate, so that 

 customers may learn your goods. 



Establish a reputation by giving honest measure and honest fruit. I 

 will not even hint to the members of this society that our customers like 

 good berries in the bottom as well as on top of the box. Become familiar 

 with the wants of your trade and supply those wants, then charge accord- 

 ingly. That old thread-bare, worn-out saying, nevertheless true, that the 

 market has never yet been supplied with fancy fruit, is especially appli- 

 cable to the fruit under consideration. 



