CHAPTER XXIX. 



STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



IN THE HOME AND MARKET GARDEN. 



" And it was called the Queen of Fruits." 



^O work on vegetable and market gardening could 

 justly be called complete if it had refused to 

 take notice of the strawberry and its culture, 

 not only because this is the most luscious, the 

 most desired and desirable, indeed the queen, 

 of all fruits, and indispensable in any well- 

 regulated home garden — coveted alike by young 

 and old, a most enjoyable luxury, and a most 

 potent medicine at the same time — but also because it often fits 

 so admirably in the crop rotation of the market garden. The 

 skilled market gardener, who retails his own garden stuff to local 

 or near-by customers, always finds it a most useful crop, which 

 adds many dollars to the cash receipts during a period of two or 

 three weeks annually, without requiring extra time to dispose of 

 it. A single crate of berries, occupying but a few square feet of 

 room on the wagon, and adding comparatively little weight to 

 the load, will sell quickly along with the other products, and 

 increase the day's sales by $2 or $4. This, however, is true also 

 of raspberries, blackberries, and all other small fruits. Indeed, 

 I think the grower for local market can generally combine 

 vegetable gardening and small fruit growing to the best 

 advantage. 



During the entire strawberry season we usually find the 

 city markets abundantly supplied with this fruit — such as it 

 is — poor, coated with dust, jammed, ill-looking, and anything 

 but inviting to people who are used to getting them fresh from the 

 garden, in all their prime and glory. I have never been tempted 

 to buy the average fruit as I saw it on the market stands of the 

 cities. It averages poor, and so, usually and deservedly, does 

 the price, which the grower realizes for them. 



On the other hand, really first-class fruit — large, even, fresh, 

 packed neatly in attractive and clean packages — is rare, and 

 always in good demand at paying prices. The premium here is 

 on superiority. There is no overproduction of fine berries, and 

 I do not think there ever will be. Large, well-colored, perfect 



