THE STRAWBERRY 



A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS 

 OF STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION IN ALL ITS BRANCHES 



Volume I No. 8 



Three Rivers, Mich., August, 1906 



$1.00 a Year 



WHEN one sets out to gather statistical data con- 

 cerning the production and marketing of straw- 

 berries he discovers how extremely meagre are 

 the details obtainable. For an interest that 

 stands second only to apple-production in the fruit interests 

 of the country, and whose annual product is known to exceed 

 in value .1^15,000,000, it seems surprising that so little attention 

 is paid to this industry, when data concerning it is so vital to 

 its larger and permanent success. Imagine the effect upon the 

 cereal interests without the data supplied by 

 the government, for instance. The use to 

 which millions of acres of ground are given 

 over annually is determined by data supplied 

 each month by an army of statistical-infor- 

 mation gatherers acting under the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture at Washington. Cotton, 

 the meat industry, and interests in industrial 

 lines, depend for many things upon 

 the information furnished without 

 cost by the federal government. 

 But a million acres may be added 

 to the area given over to strawberry 

 production, or rain or frost or drought 

 may wipe out a million acres of the 

 fruit, yet the only information to be 

 had for the most part, comes from 

 sources entirely unofScial, while 

 mere is no attempt whatever to ob- 

 tain facts and figures concerning 

 many important details. 



Recently we set out to secure 

 statistics concerning the 1906 crop 

 of strawberries, and addressed a 

 letter to the proper authorities in 



every state and territory. Replies have been received from 

 nearly all to w horn we wrote, and they were in all cases cour- 

 teous. But the actual data received was pitifully meagre, the 

 magnitude of the interest considered. One interesting but in- 

 definite report came from the state of Washington, the secre- 

 tary of state, Sam H. Nichols, advising us: "The results of 

 the season relative to the strawberry crop in this state are as 

 follows: the crop was somewhat injured by the continuous rain- 

 fall at the time when the ripening period ought to have been 

 the most prominent, but take it as a whole, the crop has been 

 very favorable in this state and prices were good." 



J. A. Ferguson, commissioner of agriculture for Montana, 

 writes of the crop in that state, and incidentally suggests how 

 great are the opportunities for the strawfberry man in JVlontana. 

 We quote: "Reports show almost total failure, for which ex- 

 tremely wet season is to blame. Berries small and soft. You 

 must understand that we do not raise any berries for export 



trade, there being in favorable years not nearly enough for home 

 use. Howe\'er, the strawberry territory is being extended, and 

 the time may come when we shall arrive at the point of fur- 

 nishing nearer what is necessary for our own people. With the 

 exception of the early shipments, Montana berries come quite 

 a great deal later than others on account of the high altitude. 

 Am sorry that I cannot give you greater detail." 



Secretary L. A. Goodman of the Missouri State Horticul- 

 tural Society writes as follows: "The crop in south Missouri 

 was a good one, not large, but fully tliree- 

 quarters, and because of the dry weather the 

 berries were in fine condition for shipping and 

 therefore brought good prices. Central Mis- 

 souri crop was about 50 per cent; 

 brought good prices also. In north 

 Missouri the crop was about two- 

 thirds and prices continued good 

 because of the dry weather. Alto- 

 gether, the crop throughout the state 

 was very satisfactory." 



Secretary W. C. Garrard of the 

 Illinois State Board of Agriculture 

 writes: "Our correspondents report 

 that the strawberry crop of 1906 in 

 this state was 84 per cent of a nor- 

 mal yield. This is a much better 

 report of this crop than our corres- 

 pondents have given during the past 

 four or five years." 



Wesley Webb, corresponding 

 secretary of the Delaware State 

 Board of Agriculture gives some 

 interesting details as follows: "The 

 strawberry crop in Delaware was 

 cut in yield so that it was only from 50 to 65 per cent of what 

 was expected, but all the moist lands yielded full crops, while 

 the very light, sandy soil yielded next to nothing. The cause 

 was a severe dry spell shortly before the berries began to ripen. 

 The acreage was large, so that the total yield was nearly as large 

 as any previous year up to 1905, and prices were about double 

 thoseof last year. Most of the crop was sold at the station for cash, 

 buyers being present from the leading commission merchants 

 in Philadelphia, New York, Boston and many other cities." 

 The secretary of the Iowa State Horticultural Society, Wes- 

 ley Greene, reports that "the strawberry crop was cut short by 

 drought in the southern part of the state 15 to 20 per cent. 

 There was moisture enough in the northern part for a full 

 crop. 



Now while these reports contain facts of interest, they are 

 without system or arrangement, and lacking these they fail of 

 their purpose as statistical data. North Carolina, proud of her 



