Summer Meeting. 1-11 



iness free of charge ? Do they do that ? ^ot much. Then if others do not 

 do this, why should the berry men? Other classes of men keep their 

 business to themselves, then why should the berry men be so often brag- 

 ging about their business and the great profits to be derived from its pur- 

 suit ? I believe that nearly all of those who have been extensively in the 

 berrv business in the soutlnvest for some years must admit and know 

 that there is no longer any large profits to be made at it and that we have 

 long since reached the point where boasting and all efforts to increase 

 the acreage of strawberries should be dropped. There is profit in gTow- 

 ing berries up to a certain point. If the amount thrown upon the mar- 

 ket goes beyond this point then prices decrease in proportion to increase 

 in amount of berries beyond this point and this continues until all profit 

 is Aviped out. I^or does it stop here, but continues right on, if the amount 

 of berries is sufficient, until there is nothing at all left for the grower — 

 except loss, disappointment, despair and ruin. Hadn't we better stop 

 and think a little about what we are doing and why ? What are we in 

 tliis business for anyhow? Judging by what we see and hear in the 

 horticultural papers and at horticultural meetings on the one hand and 

 ■ what we read in commercial reports and metropolitan daily papers on the 

 other hand manv of us are in the business that we mav boast and gain the 

 applause of men. And verily we have our reward. 



The idea seems to prevail with some that we should induce others 

 to raise berries and that we should instruct them and aid them all we can 

 from motives of philanthropy or helpfulness, and those who hold this 

 view usually become vain and imagine themselves great men, but the 

 time has gone by, in my opinion, when a man should be persuaded to 

 enter the business of commercial berry growing any more than he should 

 be persuaded to adopt the profession of a blacksmith or a carpenter. In 

 short, the time has come for us to leave off our foolish sentimentality 

 and to look upon our profession as :i business and to treat it in all respects 

 as a business — just as other business men look upon their business. 



I^ow, who is interested in having vast amounts of berries produced ? 

 Why everybody else more than the berry men — the railroads, the express 

 men, the commission men, the dealers, the consumers, and the editors and 

 publishers. Why do they want more berries? The editor and publisher 

 wants more because it takes more people to raise thorn and of course they 



