The Strawberry Country 



'^'he strawberry country, what is it? 



^^ The newest, the latest thing in agricultural Alabama. Less 

 than four years old, the section known to the general public 

 in only a vague way is attracting attention, not only in Ala- 

 bama, but throughout the Southern States. It has had a 

 marvellous' growth in its four years of life. The land is 

 the yellow pine land, the famous timber lands of Alabama of 

 a quarter of a century ago. It is "cut over" land, which means 

 that the big lumber mills have done their work and moved on. 



What to do with the thousands and thousands of acres of 

 "cut over" lands throughout the pine belt of Alabama is an 

 acute and pressing question in South Alabama. Truck farm- 

 ing and strawberry raising mean the bringing of immigrants 

 to Alabama. The immigrants come as a consequence of this, 

 sort of farming. They are never cotton raisers. 



The strawberry business down here has passed beyond the 

 experimental stage. Its phenomenal growth in four years is 

 a sufficient proof of that. For one thing, there is so little of 

 risk in it. In the four years they have been growing straw- 

 berries on these pine lands no crop failures have been recorded, 

 and in the year of 1905, when a frost fell in April, the first 

 since 1849, was about as trying a year as an Alabama farmer 

 is called upon to experience, and yet the strawberry crop did 

 well. 



For one thing, the profits in growing and selling strawberries 

 are way above those that come from other sort of farming. 



STRAWBERRY PROFITS. 



A strawberrv raiser stood at his' fence looking over his field 

 and showing his crops to a wool hat native who had spent a 

 long life in the pine lands. The old man viewed the straw- 

 berry proposition of his friend with obvious disapproval. 



"Why," he said, "it's s'uch a pity to put that land in straw- 

 berries. That land is good for a bale of cotton to the acre. 

 I have seen a bale to the acre crop grown on it." 



