STRAWBERRY CULTURE ON A LARGE SCALE. 10/ 



up until frost appears, and hoeings given as the weeds appear. What 

 blossoms appear are nipped off at this time. The beds are given 

 their winter protection as soon as freezing begins. This consists of 

 marsh hay, straw or any coarse litter, spread on just thickly enough 

 to cover the leaves. This finishes the work for the first year. 



The following spring as soon as the leaves begin to push up into 

 the covering, it is removed to the space between the rows to serve 

 as a protection to the fruit from becoming dirty and to act as a 

 mulch. No cultivation is given the second year. This year comes 

 the harvesting and disposing of the crop. I consider this the most 

 important part of the business, and for the grower to harvest his 

 crop and dispose of it in the way it should be done he must know his 

 business. There was a time when strawberries of any kind, good, 

 poor and indifferent, could be placed upon the market in any shape 

 and bring a good price. But that time has passed, and the grower 

 now in order to command a good price and find ready sales must 

 send out only fruit of good quality, size and color, put up in neat 

 and attractive shape. Did you ever put up nice large, highly colored 

 strawberries in dirty, broken boxes and crates and then put the 

 same kind of fruit in clean and well made packages and see which 

 sold the first and brought the highest price. Growers at Sparta 

 have found this out and never use boxes the second time. 



There are different methods used by which the crop is harvested, 

 but I shall give you the one I am best acquainted with. The pickers 

 are mostly women and girls. Boys are too talkative and get lame 

 in the back too quick. Pickers must agree to stay throughout the 

 picking season or forfeit a quarter of a cent on each box picked. 

 In other words they are paid one and one-fourth cents per quart for 

 picking, and if they have been faithful and remained throughout the 

 season they are paid the other one-fourth of a cent at the end of the 

 season. Each picker is numbered and holds this number throughout 

 the season; the crate she picks in has the same number, so that 

 wherever you find a number "27" crate the picker of it is also num- 

 ber "2y." One reason for this system is this. Whenever No. "27" 

 has her crate full she calls her number. A tender gets her crate, 

 gives her a check for it, and brings it to one of the tables, that stands 

 in the field. At each table is a girl whose business it is to put the 

 fruit in crates, and to see that all berries are picked properly and 

 boxes filled. If, in doing this, she finds No. "27's" berries are too 

 green or mashed, or boxes not filled (of course we never get them 

 too full), this is reported to the foreman of the pickers, and as he 

 has a list of all pickers and their number he is able to know just who 

 it is and can remedv the trouble. 



