96 A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



about how hie grew Sharpless berries on heavy soil, in hills, and 

 they were so large and fine that " they never brought less than 

 20 cents a quart in his market, while Crescents and others were 

 selling as low as 5 cents, and bushels of them spoiling, and 

 not finding sale even at that price." 



I could fill pages with just such experiences. We have a 

 great many people in this country now who do not think of 

 price if the quality is high enough. I was talking with a friend 

 last winter who makes fancy butter for private customers, and 

 they are not wealthy city people either. He gets 50 cents a 

 pound. "There is no money that would tempt me," he said, 

 " in butter at market price, say 25 cents a pound. But if I can 

 get 25 cents a pound for a little extra care and skill in making 

 and marketing, then there is big money in it." 



Now, it is a fact that most of this man's customers have an 

 income of less than $1200 a year, and still they are ready to pay 

 two prices for a gilt-edged article, that is strictly tiptop every 

 time, delivered with the fresh aroma in it, in the finest shape 

 known to the art. It is a good deal the same with the straw- 

 berry-grower who has a quarter or half an acre, such as I am 

 writing for particularly. He will not make much selling ber- 

 ries at 5 or 6 cents a quart. It is a grand thing, however, that 

 many large growers, like Mr. Farnsworth, can grow common 

 berries cheaply for the masses, who couldn't afford to pay for 

 the best, and must have cheap ones or go without. 



As hinted at above, I would have the berries, in whatever 

 package they are sold, just the same all through. A reputation 

 can soon be built up in this way. Hon. H. C. Adams told me 

 he thought it pud him to "place " all the berries on the top of 

 his quart boxes which he sells in that is, turn them all stems 

 down. This, of course, is honest, where the berries are the 

 same all through the basket, as it is simply turning the berries 

 so they will look attractive. But it is not honest, under any 

 circumstances, to " top out " a box or drawer of berries. Ask 

 a paying price for a choice article, and then give good measure 



