76 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
MRAKETING SMALL FRUIT. 
(Selected.) 
That fruit may reach the customer as fresh and attractive as 
possible, is the desire of growers. It is impossible to cart it any 
distance in the sun and have it presentable when delivered. A cov- 
ering of some kind is necessary, but great care must be taken in 
selecting material for this purpose. Blankets or black rubber cloth 
are objectionable. I used to use a marble oilcloth, raised a little 
above the fruit, so as to permit circulation of air, but I found that 
this was not just the right thing, for when making my rounds the 
last of the fruit would bein bad condition. I decided therefore to 
build a top for my wagon which would exclude the sun and dust 
and yet allow the air to circulate freely. 
WAGON FOR MARKETING SMALL FRUITS. 
I examined several fruit wagon covers but found none that suited 
me, so I constructed one myself and it is represented in the accom- 
panying illustration. Shelves are made of white wood slats half 
inch thick and two and quarter inches wide. They rest upon rods 
at b which have thumb burrs at each end and permit a change 
in position when the top is used for purposes other than carrying 
fruit. For covering I selected the best duck I could find, cut to fit 
the frame and stitched it together upon a sewing machine. It was 
then ready for fastening with finishing tacks. The sketch shows the 
curtains unfastened to give an idea of the interior, The front end 
is open so that air may circulate freely. On the outside the word 
strawberry is printed on a separate strip of cloth, which is movable, 
so that the proper word be substituted when other fruits are be- 
ing sold. I can now deliver fruit as fresh in appearance as when 
picked, and when I drive ten miles to one of my markets the fruit 
does not look much the “worse for wear.” 
STRAWBERRIES IN CENTRAL NEW YORK.—A prominent strawberry 
grower of Oswego county refers to last season as the most wonder- 
ful one for receipts within his knowledge. A good many growers 
realize from $1,000 down to $500 and $300 from a single acre of straw- 
berries; $52,000 was paid in for strawberries in one small town. 
—O. J. Farmer, 
