A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 185 



THE STRAWBERRY INDUSTRY AT BARNESVII^E, OHIO. 



From Gleanings in Bee Culture, June 75, 1897. 



For several years I have been thinking I should like to vis- 

 it Barnesville, and see how they manage where they grow straw- 

 berries by the carload and trainload, and also see what varieties, 

 where they plant whole farms to strawberries. Well, last Sat- 

 urday evening I received the card below : 



Dear Friend Root : The strawberries are ripening now, rather late. I 

 think the first of next week would be a good time to visit the patches. I 

 shall be pleased to show thee around. WM. I,. ASHTON. 



^Barnesville, O., June 4. 



I looked up the state of things on the new wheel-book sent 

 out by the L,. A. W., and found that our Medina rail way strikes 

 a station in Belmont Co. called Bannock, where a limestone 

 pike goes down to the old national pike ; and by making a 

 wheelride of toward 20 miles over these stone pikes I found I 

 could reach Barnesville without any waiting. I will not stop 

 to tell you about my wheelride, but only say that I met with 

 about the usual number of adventures In fact, I am bearing 

 the scars of some of them while I wrre. 



I was warmly welcomed by our Quaker friend and his boys, 

 for he proved to be the superintendent of the Quaker school, a 

 mile out from Barnesville. Near by was one of the strawber- 

 ry-fields ; and my first introduction to the strawberry-grower 

 brought back a host of memories belonging to forty years ago 

 or more. Shall I tell you why ? Well, it was because the in- 

 troduction was something like this : 



" Brother Smith, this is Amos Root. Brother Root, I make 

 thee acquainted with Solomon Smith." 



" Amos Root ! " Away back in my boyhood, when I was 

 so bashful that I wanted to slip around out of sight rather than 

 meet strangers, they used to call me " Amos Root ; " and some- 

 how or other it did my heart good to be called by that old fa- 

 miliar name. It seemed to say to me, " You are at home, and 

 among friends yes, friends indeed ;" and it seemed to strip 

 off business and business cares. Just the very words made me 

 feel that I was a boy again a quiet, backward, awkward boy ; 

 and it made me feel, for just a little time, loose from all busi- 

 ness entanglements and complications. I do not know but I 

 drew a long breath of relief. "A. I. Root" does not sound 

 boyish ; neither does "The A. I. Root Co." And, oh I do so 

 love to be a boy once more when I get away off with my wheel ! 



