46 A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



the surplus ; but there are thousands of farms where it could 

 be done. The consumers could get nicer, riper, fresher berries, 

 and the young people make quite a little spending money. 

 Our people are fast becoming more of a fruit-eating people. 

 In many small towns several farmers could make a good mar- 

 ket for a small surplus of berries, particularly if they were ex- 

 tra nice. In a great many towns the berries come from the 

 large cities, where they have been sent by those who grow in a 

 large way. The home grower could cut out such trade without 

 any trouble, and then, in a great many towns where but few 

 berries are now sold, a market could be gradually made for 

 more. 



Now, this isn't preaching not founded on practice. Let 

 me tell you just what we have done ourselves. In the spring 

 of 1887 we put out a quarter of an acre of strawberries. My 

 two daughters and son did the most of the work of setting out 

 and caring for them, and about all the picking ; at any rate, 

 "the writer did not do any. He helped some about the market- 

 ing. The cultivating was done for them, as, when we were cul- 

 tivating the rest of the field, which was in potatoes, we went 

 right through the strawberries too. It was hardly any extra 

 trouble. My man and myself helped some about the hoeing 

 also. The strip set out was about 3 rods by 14. They were set 

 out and cared for just as I have advised in the first chapters of 

 this book. Do not think it was all play, though. Four of us 

 worked hard all day setting out the plants (oh the backache ! ), 

 and then did not get through. An expert would have put them 

 out in three or four hours ; but we did it well, any way. They 

 all grew nicely. Our young folks had the promise of the mon- 

 ey from berries sold. They had charge of the business ; and 

 their books, neatly kept, show that they sold, for cash, berries 

 to the amount of $83.57. We ate and canned about 13 bushels. 

 These could have been sold, choice berries as they were, for 

 $50 ; so the actual cash returns from that little patch of land 

 were $133. The berries were sold at wholesale to dealers in 



