ANNUAL MEETING AT LEXINGTON. 279 



for me to be with you, but it seems that my work hinders me from at- 

 tendin<4-, should like to have been with you. isot thinking that I could 

 have added much of interest as a fruit grower as I am only a novice in 

 the buisiness, this being my first experience, coming here from Ne- 

 braska only three years ago. 



I purchased forty acres of laud within one mile of Nevada in the 

 timber, with about thirty acres under cultivation and about three and 

 one-fouth acres set in apple trees, in bearing. I commenced, shortly 

 after my arrival in December, 1883, hauling barnyard manure from the 

 city and hauled about 250 tons the first winter and put on ten acres of 

 land. In the spring of 1884 I set out 700 one year old apple trees and 

 200 peach trees ; set apple trees twenty-five feet apart each way, peach 

 trees sixteen and one-half feet ; also set 600 strawberry plants and 400 

 raspberry plants, and during the fall of 1884 I increased my strawberry 

 patch to one acre and in the following spring to one acre more. My 

 plants bore a good crop during the season of 1885, and in the fall of 

 1885 and 188G I increased my strawberry patch to about five acres, and 

 also set out in the spring of 1885 and 1886 six and one-half acres of 

 raspberries. Our strawberries and raspberries bore a good and profit- 

 able crop during our past season. I estimate that I sold about seven 

 thousand quarts of strawberries and about four thousand quarts of 

 rasi)berrie8; price obtained for strawberries was from twenty cents, 

 May 10 to 15, then from ten to eight and one-third cents per quart at 

 retail during balance of season. None sold at less than eight and one- 

 third cents at retail, the lowest price by the crate being $1.50 for two 

 dozen boxes. Our raspberries commenced ripening May 29, and we 

 sold berries up to June 9 ; prices ran from twenty cents down to ten 

 cents per quart at retail, $1.75 being the lowest price by the case of 

 two dozen quarts. We delivered berries all over the city sometimes 

 making six trips per day. Consider this being a great advantage being 

 clos? to a good market and shipping point. 



After bearing season was over commenced to cultivate and clean 

 out, then on September 1 commenced hauling barnyard manure from 

 the city, and during two and one-half months caluculate I hauled about 

 225 loads, and scattered lightly between the strawberry rows and am 

 now hauling and covering the rows of plants lightly with manure. My 

 plants are in matted rows four feet apart and about twelve to fourteen 

 inches wide in the row ; berries all set among the young apple and 

 peach trees. Have now set near six acres in strawberries and seven 

 acres in raspberries; plants are all looking well; kept them clean. 



