THE ALABAMA OPPORTUNITY. 137 



"This is the intent and purpose of the demonstrations we 

 are carrying on. Just now we are giving special prominence 

 to strawberry culture. When we make a claim of a return of 

 $200 each year from each acre of strawberries, we are prepared 

 to prove the claim. We are growing the proof on our own 

 lands. We have here sixty acres of this "cut over" land set 

 in strawberries. The plants were set out last November. They 

 are vigorous and hardy, and the first crop wnW be yielded next 

 year. We have an expert in charge of this strawberry farm, 

 Mr. Guice, of Brewton, and w^e believe that we have one of the 

 most promising strawberry farms in South Alabama. 



"The other strawberry growers of our neighborhood have 

 proved that a $200 income from an acre of strawberries is a 

 very conservative yield to expect. 



"x\n acre of berries will yield certainly 150 crates of berries, 

 and in all probability 200 crates. The berry crop in most 

 instances sells for $2.25 a crate. Two dollars a crate is regarded 

 as' a very low price for them. For instance, there is G. W. 

 P^thridge, of Castleberry, who has two acres in strawberries. 

 These two acres last year netted him $302 apiece." 



"But we grow other things here besides strawberries," con- 

 tinued Mr. Lee. "This spring we had fifteen acres' in tomatoes. 

 From these fifteen acres we sold not less than $3,200 worth of 

 tomatoes. The careful bookkeeping record showed that we 

 netted the sum of $1,200. In fact, the profit from the tomato 

 field amounted to $1,700, for we spent $500 in putting in per- 

 manent improvements that we might grow tomatoes each year. 



"But strawberries and tomatoes', are only a few of the things 

 that can be grown with profit and with success. We have, for 

 instance, as fine a cane field as you can find in the State. This 

 pine land beyond doubt is specially adapted for cane growing, 

 for syrup or for sug;ir. x-\nd potatoes do splendidly. We 

 have been fortunate with our potato crop, but for that matter 

 we have been fortunate with all we have attempted to grow 

 here. 



• "In short, the land about here is suitable for any sort of 

 farming. Why, the cotton patches around here grow from a 

 bale to one and three-quarters of a bale to the acre crops. It 

 is a natural farming soil, the sort that responds' readily to 

 fertilizer, and which cherishes and stores up the fertilizer put 

 into the soil. 



