COMMERCIAL STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



By S. B. SHAW, Assistant Horticulturist. 



There is probably no branch of horticulture that has developed in 

 the past twenty years more strikingly than has the commercial culture 

 of the strawberry. It has grown in a quarter of a century from a more 

 or less general and relatively unimportant business, to a highly special- 

 ized one of great importance. While strawberries have been grown for 

 centuries, it has been only within the past decade or so that their com- 

 mercial culture has attained the prominence it now holds in the fruit- 

 growing industry. Ripening as they do early in the season, strawberries 

 come on the market at a time when every one has a craving for fresh 

 fruit that is not satisfied with the citrus, subtropical, and other fruits 

 that have been on the markets during the winter months. 



So far as the growth and perfection of the fruit is concerned, there 

 is no section of the State where the finest strawberries cannot be grown. 

 The main point to be considered in the cultivation of this fruit for 

 market is the fact that the strawberry is grown commercially in all 

 parts of the country, and that each section from Florida to Maine has 

 its own season. Hence, to make strawberries profitable for shipment 

 to the north, they must be grown where the climatic conditions warrant 

 an early ripening of the fruit, so that it can be placed on the market 

 before localities further north come in with their berries. For this 

 reason the culture of the strawberry as a commercial crop has been con- 

 fined to the lands of the coastal plain, where soil and climatic conditions 

 combine to make this business profitable. 



While the coastal section will always be the region for profitable 

 strawberry growing for northern markets, yet the increasing number 

 and size of the towns and cities in the State will create home markets 

 for a great deal of fruit of all kinds. This will naturally result in the 

 development of the strawberry industry in other localities, for the sup- 

 ply of local demands. Home markets are apt to be overlooked and 

 poorly supplied. The demand for berries of high quality is always 

 good and is ever increasing with the annual increase in population. 

 Even with an excess of fruit, there would be room for the development 

 of canning industries to compete with similar establishments in other 



^ tat0S " SOILS AND THEIR PREPARATION. 



Strawberries can be grown on almost any type of soil, if the land is 

 well prepared and supplied with a sufficient amount of available plant 

 food. The ideal berry soil is a mellow, Avell-drained loam. Land that 

 has a natural tendency to bake should be avoided, as it is difficult to 

 keep down wheels on this type of soil, and it is also hard to conserve 



