124 VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



vantage than in showing these people how I grow and handle the 

 fruit that they are to eat. It gives them confidence in me and in 

 my ability to furnish them with good, clean, wholesome fruit, and 

 thus one-half of the battle is won. 



I have never "peddled" my small fruits, except the first 

 season, and in that one season by putting up my fruit as I have 

 described I secured all the best customers in town. They soon 

 learned that my berries were fresh, clean, of uniform quality 

 throughout the basket, and that the baskets were always full, 

 and they were willing to, and did pay me double the price that 

 ordinary berries were selling for. We must keep people talk- 

 ing about us and our fruits as long as they will say good things 

 of us. 



For a number of years past our leading market man has 

 handled all my small fruits, he contracts to take all I have, 

 and to show you the price my berries bring, I will state that this 

 past season of 1898, when strawberries were a drug on the mar- 

 kets everywhere, and with nice native berries being sold on 

 our streets at four and six boxes for 25 cents. My berries 

 started off at 25 cents per box and a large part of my crop 

 brought 18, 20 and 25 cents, and a few 15 cents. All my rasp- 

 berries brought 20 cents per basket. The few seconds of straw- 

 berries brought five cents wholesale or as much as many other 

 growers were retailing their best berries for. 



Of course my strawberries are all assorted after they are 

 brought in by the pickers. This work I look after personally, 

 thus I am able to guarantee every box of berries sent out. I 

 " top" every box myself by packing the berries close together 

 with hulls down, which if nicely done, gives the basket a very 

 fine appearance. I am always particular to have the "topping" 

 berries no larger or better in any way than those in the rest of 

 the box. I use the Renitt Patent display crate, which shows 

 up the fruit to the best advantage. 



I employ good, clean wholesome pickers. Many of them 

 are sons of our first families. I pay a little more than the 

 regular price, and expect from them better work than is usually 

 done by pickers. At the end of the berry season, all of the 

 pickers who have staid through are invited to a "Strawberry 

 cake" supper. Tables are spread on the lawn, strawberry cakes 

 are made in large pans, made expressly for the purpose. I 

 think you will be able to imagine the rest. I have no trouble 

 in getting good pickers and keeping them. I get enough for 

 my fruit above the regular market price to pay the entire cost 

 of growing it. 



What is true of small fruits is also true of the larger sorts. 

 I find just as ready sale for all my fruits as for strawberries. I 

 never have to " peddle. " My orders for plums and cherries 



