48 



the average farmer. This state of things need not and ought 

 not to exist. 



A plot of strawberries containing four hundred plants will 

 give three bushels of fruit, or more than three quarts a day, for 

 a month, and will occupy less than three square rods. Fifty 

 raspberry plants will yield two bushels of fruit, or two quarts a 

 day, for one month, and occupy three square rods ; and fifty 

 blackberry plants will give two quarts a day for two months, 

 and require four rods of land, making the total area occupied 

 ten square rods, or one sixteenth of an acre. An equal amount 

 should be planted with currants, gooseberries, and grapes. The 

 entire cost of plants will not exceed five dollars. This would 

 appear to be a small outlay for an abundance of fresh berries 

 during a period of four months, whether they are regarded as a 

 luxury or otherwise. Certainly no eighth of an acre on the 

 farm planted with corn, potatoes, or any of the other grain or 

 vegetable crops, will yield so great an amount of pleasure or 

 profit. 



PICKING AND MARKETING. 



In growing berries for market, arrangements must be made 

 for suitable help in picking, packing, and shipping the fruit. 

 On extensive plantations a large force is employed during the 

 entire berry season, which, when strawberries, raspberries, 

 gooseberries, currants, and blackberries are grown, following as 

 they do,' in succession, will extend over a period of about three 

 months. The man who engages in the small fruit business will 

 never think of confining himself to any one kind, as in case that 

 should fail, his profits for the year are gone. When, however, 

 the different fruits are grown a total failure will seldom occur. 



Berry-baskets and crates must be provided before the season 

 opens, and if only the strawberries were grown, they would be 

 out of use at the end of three or four weeks, while if all the 

 other small-fruits are cultivated, they will be required for nearly 

 half the summer. They constitute a part of the fruit-grower's 

 capital, and must not be allowed to lie idle eleven months of the 

 year. 



In case of pickers, it will be well to contract for the season, 

 as it is difficult to secure a suflicient number of trusty persons 

 for a short time, and transient pickers can hardly be trained to 



