WHEN SHALL WE PLANT? II7 



June beetle, or the plants are treated with utter neglect, not 

 one in a hundred will fail. Say the plants cost us two and 

 a half cents each by the time they are planted, instead of 

 one half to one cent as in the spring, is there not a prospect 

 of an equal or larger profit? A potted plant set out in 

 summer or early autumn, and allowed to make no runners, 

 will yield at least a pint of fruit ; and usually these first ber- 

 ries are very large and fine, bringing the best prices. Sup- 

 pose, however, we are able to obtain but ten cents a quart, 

 you still have a margin of two and one half cents on each 

 plant. Adding two cents to the cost of each plant to cover 

 the expense of cultivation, winter protection, spring mulch- 

 ing, picking, etc., there still remains a profit of half a cent 

 on each plant. Supposing we have an acre containing 

 14,520 plants, our estimate gives a profit of $72.60 for the 

 first year. If we clear but a quarter x)f a cent on each 

 plant, we have a profit of $36.30. The prospects are, how- 

 ever, that if we plant early in the summer, on rich ground, 

 and give good cultivation, our plants will yield more than 

 a pint each, and the fruit sell for more than ten cents a 

 quart. 



This estimate applies to the common market varieties 

 raised with only ordinary skill and success. Suppose, in 

 contrast, one plants the large, showy, high-flavored varieties, 

 and is able to obtain from fifteen to thirty cents per quart. 

 The expenses in this case are no greater, while the profits 

 are very largely increased. 



Good potted plants can be bought for about $2.50 per 

 100, or $2Q per 2,000. I do not think that they can be 

 properly grown and sold at much lower rates and afford a 

 living profit. Freight and express charges are a heavy item 

 of expense, since the earth encasing the roots renders the 

 packages very heavy, and but comparatively few plants can 



