A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 47 



town, not at retail. In another chapter you will find that qual- 

 ity had much to do with finding us a ready sale in a market 

 oversupplied with a common shipping grade of berries. Our 

 crop was not a large one. We were entirely green at the busi- 

 ness, practically. Too many plants were allowed to grow in 

 our matted rows, for one thing. Again, there were three nights 

 in June when the leaves of the vines froze stiff, and the blos- 

 soms on one variety were seriously injured. Then the rust hurt 

 another kind. An old grower who called here and looked them 

 over said the frost killed at least a half (we live in an unusually 

 frosty locality), and the rust would considerably reduce our 

 yield. But with all these discouragements the above success 

 was attained, the first time trying. What we had for our own 

 use would have paid well for the rent of land, plants, labor, 

 etc. ; so the $83 was clear profit. The young folks had every 

 cent of it. It was not " their calf and father's cow." There 

 was nothing fancy or beyond the reach of any bright boy or 

 girl in the way this crop was grown. 



Matthew Crawford, who can be depended on, told the writ- 

 er that he knew a woman over 60 years old who grew, that 

 same season, a quarter of an acre of strawberries that brought 

 her $145, besides furnishing enough for family use, and a good 

 many for friends. I can easily believe this, as, if we had had 

 no late frosts, our own yield would almost certainly have been 

 as great. Now, I hope these experiences may encourage hun- 

 dreds of young people who are situated so they can do some- 

 thing of this kind to start out ; but they had better not expect 

 as large returns as these, for it is better to be disappointed the 

 right way. And still, to be truthful, I know of cases where, 

 beyond all doubt, very much larger yields have been grown on 

 acres, when managed by an expert. This is told to encourage 

 you, my young friends, if at first you do not succeed, do not 

 stop short of a pretty high round in the ladder. The remain- 

 ing chapters in this book are for any young friends or others 

 who may grow some strawberries to sell, and are interested in 



