THE STRAWBERRY SEPTEMBER 1906 



we know or may learn. Then, may we, 

 as a result of actual experience say, in 

 the matchless eloquence of Cardinal 

 Richelieu: "In the bright lexicon of youth 

 there's no such word as fail!" 



'^ ^ 

 Getting a Home of One's Own 



¥ AM a young man of twenty-three years, in 

 ■* very moderate circumstances and possessed 

 of limited education. I want a home of my 

 own, and have been thinking that if I could 

 get ten acres of good berry land near a good 

 market and get started in the strawberry line, I 

 would have the problem solved. What do you 

 think of it, and wliat would you advise one in 

 my situation to do who is relying on your most 

 valuable publication for advice? 

 Pellstown, Mich. G. W. R. 



SUCH a letter suggests a vast field of 

 possibilities, and we should not do 

 our full duty in the premises if we 

 failed to impress upon you how great are 

 your opportunities. First, we must take 

 note of two facts: you are only twenty- 

 three years of age, and you are possessed 

 of but limited education. One having 

 your native intelligence and foresight 

 ought not to let his first great opportunity 

 pass, and that opportunity is expressed in 

 the one word Education, which really 

 means Preparation for Life's Work. A 

 young man at twenty-three is just at the 

 moment of life when one year's training 

 in the schools will be worth what two 

 years at some earlier period would have 

 been. And our first advice is that you 

 go to some good school like the Michigan 

 Agricultural College, for instance, and 

 there study and practice those things that 

 will give you the wide knowledge, the 

 practical skill, the limitless power, that 

 come with thorough training in some one 

 particular calling. Let the hardship be 

 great, the sacrifices many, the way be^et 

 by difficulties — no matter. Twenty-three 

 and in good health and spirits! It is a 

 condition of fairest promise; and you 

 should overcome every obstacle and win 

 a splendid success. 



But to answer specifically the questions 

 you ask. It is unquestionably true that 

 one may look long and far before he will 

 find another such a way to establish him- 

 self in a home and in business as that 

 afforded by strawberry production. And 

 as you are now in Michigan, and in the 

 northern part, we would call your atten- 

 tion particularly to the opportunity for 

 growing late strawberries for market in 

 all sections of the Lake Superior region, 

 which includes, of course, the northern 

 end of Michigan's lower peninsula. Here 

 is a clipping from a Calumet, Mich., 

 newspaper of date July 18, 1906: 



The Lake Superior strawberry farm of Neh- 

 mer & Sons near Ontonagon is an example of 

 the opportunities for farming in the upper penin- 

 sula. One hundred and fifty persons are em- 

 ployed there now picking berries and from 200 

 to 400 crates are picked and shipped daily. 



Imagine what prices were paid for straw- 



berries in the markets from July 10 to 25! 

 It is an opportunity of a lifetime. 



In the August issue of The Strawberry 

 you will find an answer to some of your 

 inquiries. (See page 166, "Seeking a Lo- 

 cation.") Having determined where you 

 will locate, look about for a good piece 

 of land of say ten acres in extent, and 

 arrange for its purchase. If you can't 

 buy it because of lack of means or credit, 

 lease it with privilege of purchase at a 

 stipulated price within a certain number 

 of years. But don't set out ten acres of 

 strawberries until you are sure of your 

 ground — sure that you understand how 

 to grow big red berries and how to sell 

 them; sure that your market is just what 

 you need for such a field. Meantime, 

 diversify your products by growing pota- 

 toes and vegetables, at the same time 

 getting your land in perfect condition for 

 strawberry production so you may extend 

 the area given over to the crop as you 

 wish — for nothing is better than vegetables 

 and potatoes in fitting the soil for straw- 

 berries. Go in with intelligence, vim 

 and enthusiasm, follow closely the in- 

 structions given in this magazine, and 

 success surely will be your portion; and 

 you soon will be in a home of your own — 

 one of life's best achievements. 



^ <^ 

 Growing and Selling Strawberries 



By Ralph Roberts 



THE first year of my berry growing 

 is now history. I had about one- 

 tenth of an acre in berries — some 

 seven hundred original plants. From this 

 patch we, my wife and 1, sold $35 worth 

 of berries. Besides we and our visiting 

 friends had all the berries we could eat 

 for a period of time extending over two 

 months. We gave away many berries, 

 even as many as a crate at a time. Be- 

 sides this was the worst season for berries 

 that has ever been known. The first 

 month of the berry season was one contin- 

 ual rain-storm. Consequently crates of 

 berries spoiled in the patch. 



Here is what the local paper says about 

 our patch — hope the praise is merited, 

 for we tried to deserve it: 



Mr. Ralph Robert's "Fancy Strawberries" 

 are eye openers to every one who sees them. 

 The berries he is now putting on the market at 

 Bushby's store are exceptionally large and of fine 

 flavor, and would attract marked attention in 

 any market. 



We did some advertising, although the 

 berries themselves were their own best 

 advertisement. Here is one way we did 

 it, using the home paper as our medium: 



Father — "Johnny, what is a miser?" 



Johnny — "A miser is a man who can pass 



Jiushby's store and not buy some of Roberts' 



Fancy Strawberries. " 



I will relate a little experience, show- 

 ing what quality stands for even in the 



Page 174 



HOME OF C. W. GORDON 

 A Montville, N. J., Reader of The Strawberry 



local market. One merchant 'phoned up 

 to the ho'use for berries and I asked him 

 the price. He replied: "Ten cents a 

 box." 



When I got to the store he had some 

 other berries on sale. I took mine from 

 the wagon and placed them on the stand 

 in such a way that they would show to 

 good advantage. Just then the merchant 

 came up and when he saw them he stared. 

 "How much do you want for them.?" 



"The market price." 



After reflecting a moment the merchant 

 said: If I sell your berries for 10 cents 

 a box, the same as these others, the others 

 will spoil on my hands." So he sold 

 mine at two for 25 cents and then they 

 sold out before "the others." As he got 

 a commission I thought in that instance, 

 at least, it paid to raise "Fancy Berries." 

 I could not supply one quarter the demand 

 for my berries. 



I enjoy The Strawberry very much 

 and think a strawberry patch without 

 The Strawberry would be like Thanks- 

 giving without turkey. 



Everson, Wash., July 12, 1906. 



Mrs. Hooper of the Strawberry 

 Patch 



By Mabelle S. Hooper 



LET us leave Mrs. Wiggs and her 

 cabbage patch and read about Mrs. 

 Hooper and her strawberry patch, 

 and a very profitable patch it has proved 

 to be. My husband is a carpenter, and is 

 away from home all day. and as we both 

 enjoy out-door work, we decided to see 

 what success we could make of a straw- 

 berry bed, as we had good long evenings 

 in which to take care of the bed, and I 

 thought I could surely pick all the berries 

 we should ha\e. 



So we sent for a famous strawberry cat- 

 alog and after much deliberation chose the 

 three varieties known as Kansas, Parsons' 

 Beauty and Splendid. Our plants arrived 

 in due season and my husband set them 

 out as directed, and very soon they began 

 to grow great handsome plants. 



My husband bought a wheel hoe as 

 soon as the v\'eeds began to appear, and 

 armed with this and a rake we would 



