Sinall Fruits. 
i) 
BERRIES FOR THE NORTHWEST. 
C. E. TOBEY, SUPT. THAYER FRUIT FARMS, SPARTA, WIS. 
Strawberries have grown wild in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and 
have been cultivated in a small way since we became common- 
wealths. Raspberries and blackberries have grown wild in almost 
every turn of the road, but during severe open winters the expected 
crop has been destroyed, and if they were to be had at all, the culti- 
vated varieties have been purchased from our Southern or Eastern 
neighbors. During the past few years Wisconsin and Minnesota 
have awakened to the fact that they can not only supply the home 
demand butalso the increasing demands of their Western, Northern, 
and Northwestern neighbors. The increasing knowledge of right 
varieties to grow and thrive within our borders, the knowing how to 
plant, cultivate, care for and, last but not least, to protect during 
our severe winters, has placed this industry in our state of Wiscon- 
sin (and I know this to be true to acertain extent in your state) on 
as sound a foundation as the dairy or any other of our great agri- 
cultural industries. 
At Sparta, now the great berry center of Wisconsin, the birth of 
this new industry occurred at the first farmer’s institute held in our 
city. It was at this farmer’s meeting that the possibilities of the cul- 
ture of berries, both commercially and in the home garden, was 
brought to our attention. Since then, notwithstanding the cry of 
“You will overdo it,’ the demand has increased faster than the 
acreage, and the acreage has increased from year to year until now 
over 500 acres of berries are being cultivated. The market is found 
in northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas and Manitoba. 
To bring the true value of this industry to the attention of the 
farmers of our own state, I have made the following statements at 
our farmers’ institutes,and now make them to you: One acre of 
well cultivated berries of varieties known to do wellin your lo- 
cality will net you more profit than 10 average milch cows or 
40 average acres of grain. 
Some farmers will at once ask me the question, “Can we market 
berries successfully, our farms being six, seven or eight miles from 
a railroad station?” Most certainly youcan. Thereis alimit, how- 
ever, to the acreage of the farmers thus situated, depending upon 
the man, the family, their surroundings and circumstances. Many 
farmers within four, six or eight miles of Sparta are now making a 
business of berries and the regular farm products aré made second- 
ary to this new industry. Don’t understand me as advising farmers 
to stop growing corn, wheat, oats, milk or pork, but give the berries 
a show. 
This year we bought on our farms with a bushel of our berries a 
barrel of friend Phillips’ best apples (in fact, Secretary Phillips sent 
