92 A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



PICKING AND MARKETING A FARMER WHO DIDN'T HAVE 

 THE PRICE FIXED FOR HIM GROW FEWER BERRIES AND 

 BETTER ONfcS. 



In the small way that we grow strawberries, we have not 

 yet had occasion to hire any pickers by the quart. We have 

 had regular help enough to do all the picking ourselves, so we 

 do not need to have the berries measured as picked. We use 

 common peck baskets (grape-baskets) to pick in ; and when 

 the picker gets four or five quarts they are brought to the cel- 

 lar and emptied into half-bushel drawers (those that are used 

 in the common two- bushel stand). The berry-patch is right 

 close to the house, so it is little trouble to take the berries to 

 the cellar. Sometimes when it is cool, however, we fill the 

 drawers under a tree. Oar dealers here prefer to have the ber- 

 ries in bulk, in these drawers, rather than put up in quart bas- 

 kets. They say people like to see the berries measured, and 

 see what they are buying ; and then I suppose a well-filled half- 

 bushel drawer will measure out 18 or 20 quarts, sometimes. 

 The drawers are certainly less trouble to us than quart boxes. 

 They cost 40 cents per stand of two bushels (four drawers), if 

 bought new of a manufacturer. Second-hand ones can be had 

 of any dealer who buys Southern berries. Mr. Farnsworth 

 writes me that he buys second-hand stands in Toledo, nearly as 

 good as new, for 25 cents each. Dealers here ask 40 cents, as 

 the Cleveland firms allow them that for them if sent back. But 

 I guess they have the freight to pay, and could afford to sell 

 for about 30 cents. 



We do not measure the berries into the drawers, but simply 

 fill them as full as we can. Mr. Crawford says a bushel of 

 strawberries should weigh between 38 and 39 pounds, but he 

 always gives 40. We can not get enough in our drawers so 

 they will weigh over 40 pounds. When we sell less than half a 



