REPORTS OF DISTRICT A.ND LOCAL SOCIETIES. 513 



hand, your market is to be the large cities, you will need to look carefully after the 

 matter of trasportation. If you are where you can get good steamboat service at a 

 price not to exceed thirty cents per bushel on boats running to Chicago or Milwaukee, 

 leaving every evening, and arriving at the market very early in the morning, you are all 

 right on transportation; but you can not afford to pay any higher rates, as you come 

 directly in competition with other points from which they are laid down in these mar- 

 kets at a cost of eight to ten cents per bushel, and even at that price some growers 

 think they have a hard row to hoe. If you have to use railway transportation, do not 

 expect to be able to use freight, with any satisfaction, for distances of more than 50 to 

 100 miles, and even for that distance it is very poor service. The express companies 

 furnish much better service, but their rates are exorbitant in this state ; but the express 

 method has the advantage of rapid transit and free delivery, while railway or steam- 

 boat service leaves a cartage charge to be paid in addition to the freight. 



The above conditions apply to the small shipper, but the man who grows in large 

 enough quantity can use refrigerator cars which, properly managed, will carry berries a 

 thousand miles or more in good order, but can only be used to advantage in ship- 

 ping to large markets, and usually from southern points to northern cities. Still, the 

 conditions are now such that these cars can be used along the shore of western Mich- 

 igan, not by individuals perhaps, but by associations of growers properly combined for 

 that prrrpose. Such combinations are badly needed now to assist the small grower in 

 holding a place in the market. 



A few words about growing berries may not be out out of place here, as nothing has 

 been said, so far, upon which the prospective berry-grower can base any calculation as to 

 whether he can make the business pay or not. Commencing with the strawberry, the 

 calculation would stand about as follows: Under ordinary conditions, on the basis of 

 allowing a plantation to occupy the ground three years, which is as long as is wise or 

 profitable, these are the expenses: 



First year, 5,000 plants @ $2.50 $12 50 



Preparing land, planting, cultivation, etc 18 00 



Interest on land and investments 8 per cent 10 40 



Second year, interest on land and labor 20 00 



Third year, interest 13 CO 



Total for three years $73 90 



If this amount has been judiciously expended, it will be found sufficient to give the 

 acre good, clean culture, but if culture is neglected the estimate may not be sufficient. 

 In computing interest on the land, I have given it a value of $100 per acre, which 

 would provide for some choice land in a fair state of fertility. Such being the case, it 

 should not yield less than seventy-five bushels of berries the second year, and sixty the 

 third year, or a total production of 135 bushels for three years' use of the land. This 

 would make the fruit cost about 1% cents per quart on the vines, to which add \y z 

 cents for picking and 1 cent for package, or a total cost of 4)4 cents ready for sale in a 

 new, clean package. I would consider the above yield very low, and under favorable 

 circumstances would expect at least double the amount; and I have seen three times as 

 much produced, in which case the cost, ready for market, would be reduced to 3 or 3% 

 cents. On the whole, any man who can get 5 cents or more per quart for strawberries, 

 including package, can make a little money growing them. 



As for the other kinds of berry, I have been very much surprised, many times, how 

 uniform the cost of producing a bushel of berries has proved in my experience, some 

 kinds being more expensive in some respects than others, but invariably cheaper in 

 some other respect, the average cost of producing a quart during the period of useful- 

 ness of any kind ranging from "S% to 5 cents. So 1 have always considered that any 

 berry that left me 5 cents or more per quart, including box, was profitable to grow. 



From the above statements it will be perfectly safe to draw your own conclusions as 

 to whether it is desirable for you to grow small fruits or not. 



The next topic considered was " Does it pay to use commercial ferti- 

 lizers in fruitgrowing ?' : 



Mr. J. Taylor: This is one of the questions concerning which a series 

 of years is required to give accurate results. Nitrate of soda produces' 

 great effect on vegetables, but the results on trees was not so well devel- 

 oped, with a single test. Until you have tried them for four or five years in 

 succession you can not form a correct estimate. I can not tell whether it has 

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