118 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



it first colors it is of a scarlet color ; and our experience is that if 

 we pick it at that stage we can ship it almost anywhere. If it 

 remains on a da3' or two longer it becomes crimson. In that stage 

 it will go well to a near market. But if you let it remain on a little 

 longer, until it becomes dead ripe, it becomes a very dark crimson, 

 and then I should not want to ship it very far or have people keep 

 it over night. I know one of our patrons made the mistake of let- 

 ting his berries get too ripe. And, by the way, I think all straw- 

 berry growers will agree that this is wise : keep right up with the 

 crop. If you let berries go until Monday or Tuesday that ought to 

 be picked Friday or Saturday, you will have trouble with them. A 

 great deal depends upon that. Pick them often enough so that they 

 shall not be in the last stages of ripening. A large berry, when it 

 gets over ripe is very apt to go down. We sell by wholesale entirely, 

 and we have always said to our customers, '4f you find it necessary 

 at any time to charge back an}' berries that we send in, do so ;" and 

 last 3'ear and the year before, when we came to settle up accounts, 

 we asked the men if there was anything to charge back and they 

 said "nothing." We have taken the precaution to keep up with our 

 crop in picking, even if we have to send some into the market when 

 they do not bring quite as much. We do not like to leave berries 

 Friday and Saturday to go over till Monday if they want picking 

 then ; and we have always picked on Saturday and put into a cold 

 room, where the temperature is about fifty, and then they go in 

 Monday morning in good condition. I know last season when a 

 load of our berries were going to market in prett}' good season one 

 Monday morning, some of our good people asked each other, "when 

 do you suppose those berries were picked?" but they were picked 

 Saturday. 



Mr. Pope. While you are up I would ask you to sa}' a few 

 words about the currants. 



Mr. Augur. I think the currant is a ver}^ useful crop. It is a 

 productive crop. There is more sugar in the currant than in the 

 strawberr}', though it is hard to believe it. We have about an acre 

 and a quarter of currants and thej- do very well. It takes a smaller 

 quantity of currants to satisfy- the market, almost anywhere, than of 

 strawberries. We can send in five crates of strawberries where we 

 can one of currants. If anyone is inclined to plant white currants, 

 as sometimes they are recommended very highly, I would say don't 

 do it. We had a very large crop of white currants last year, and 



