A B C OF STRAWBERRY GUI/TURK. 9 



must be performed daily, and there was no time to care for a 

 new industry." 



This is a rather discouraging state of things ; but I suppose 

 Mr. Pierce knows what he says to be true. Others have told 

 me about the same thing, and said it was useless to advise 

 farmers as a class to grow strawberries ; that they already have 

 too many things to attend to ; that I, with my specialty farm- 

 ing, could get time to attend to them, but the masses can not 

 and will not. " Where there is a will there is a way." I am 

 trying now to get the will into you, and then I will show you 

 the "way." 



When I ride by a little neglected patch of small fruits and 

 weeds and grass, and see fine fields of well-cared-for corn, oats, 

 and clover on the same farm, I can not help feeling pity for the 

 man who does not try as hard to grow fine-eating crops for 

 himself and family as he does for his stock. That little neg- 

 lected patch serves as an excuse for not buying any berries (of 

 course not, for we raise them), and essentially for going with- 

 out. Now let us be honest, friends ; isn't this just exactly so ? 

 You set out a few plants, and let the weeds and grass choke 

 them almost out of existence, and from them comes (or, rather, 

 does not come) your family supply. Am I getting almost too 

 hard on you? Well, it is only to make you see yourselves as 

 others see you, so there may be some chance to encourage you 

 to do better. 



To be sure, the farm crops bring the money that pays debts 

 and buys the necessities of life But surely a life supplied with 

 only the barest necessities is not what we want. We ought to 

 have some luxuries ; and what greater one can we ask for than 

 delicious ripe strawberries on our tables, in great abundance, 

 every meal, for some three weeks ? But let us look into this 

 matter and see whether we can not find out why the farmer's 

 fruit-garden is so frequently neglected. It is not that they do 

 not want good things. It is not that they care more for their 

 Battle than for their families, as my words above would seem to 



