The Autobiography of a Strawberry Grower 



By Frank E. Beatty 



Chapter VI — In which it is shown that Marketing Berries is as Important as Growing Them 



THE losses I had sustained in the 

 preceding two years through lack 

 of linowledge as to the best way 

 to maricet my berries, compelled 

 me to think more seriously than ever be- 

 fore of this part of the business, and the 

 more thought I ga\e the marketing prob- 

 lem the more I was convinced that the 

 marketing was the largest half of success- 

 ful strawberry production. The two big 

 crops of berries I had grown made me feel 

 -reasonably certain that I had mastered the 

 produciive part of the work; now if I only 

 could devise some plan to market the ber- 

 ries at a profit, success would be mine. 

 The low price received for my second big 

 crop of berries that had just been mar- 

 keted left me little profit after growing 

 and marketing expenses had been deduct- 

 ed. I knew that my expenses for the 

 coming year were to be heavier than there- 

 tofore because I was following more in- 

 tensive plans. I had several men working 

 steadily at hoeing, cultivating and cutting 

 runners. Everything was kept in ideal 

 condition. Scarcely a weed could be found 

 in my five acres of plants. And my ex- 

 perimental beds were a sight worth going 

 miles to see. 



Although no rain had fallen for more 

 than two months, the plants were growing 

 vigorously and indicated no signs of suffer- 

 ing from lack of moisture, even during the 

 extreme heat of the day. It was so dusty 

 I could scarcely see the men and horses 

 that were at work fighting the battle, and 

 the sun was exteniely hot. We had stirred 

 the dust mulch with cultivators and hoes 

 so often that a dust blanket about three 

 inches thick and as fine as flour covered 

 the entire field. I was cautioned by sev- 

 eral neighbors not to cultivate while it was 

 so hot and dry; but I was practicing what 

 I bad read from books written by scientific 

 men. Day after day and week after week 

 passed, but no rain came until the latter 

 part of October, which was more than a 

 three-months' drought, and when the rain 

 did come, how my plants stretched them- 

 selves! 1 certainly learned a lesson in 

 cultivation that season that always will be 

 remembered. There v\as no comparison 

 between mv cultivated plants and those of 

 my neighbors which were not properly 

 cared for. One neighbor lost most all of 

 his plants simply because he deferred cul- 

 tivation until it rained. 



"It will not do to wait for rain," I said 

 to this neighbor. "We must treat each 

 rain as though it were the last we expected 

 to get, and from now on I am going to 

 cultivate after every rain just as soon as 

 the soil will crumble." 



That fall when I was covering m\ 

 plants and noted how fine they looked it 

 gave me faith in myself to think I had won 

 a victory by bringing my plants safely 



through the most extended drought that 

 had afFected our section for years. And 

 while the winter was quite severe the 

 plants were in ideal condition when we 

 uncovered them the following spring. But 

 I knew that the intensive cultural methods 

 given them through the hot, dry summer 

 had exhausted much of the nitrogen from 

 the soil, and so, to help the plants along, 

 I gave them a dressing of nitrate of soda, 

 applying one hundred pounds to the acre, 

 just after removing the mulching. This 

 must have been what they needed, for it 

 seemed to me I could see those plants 

 grow. The dry summer and fall were 

 favorable to fruit-bud development, and 

 when the bloom started to open it was a 

 sight that would enthuse any lover of na- 

 ture. 



One day that spring while pulling a few 

 stray weeds that had worked their way up 

 through the mulching, the market problem 

 was again brought forcibly to mind. I 

 knew that if weather conditions continued 

 favorable, the crop was going to be unu- 

 sually large, and so I just kept pulling 

 weeds and thinking. I soon decided that 

 the only way to run the berry business 

 was on business principles, and the busi- 

 ness way to run any business is for the 

 producer to set the price on his products. 

 I staid out in the field imtil I had formu- 

 lated a letter that would do to write to my 

 customers, and when I had it well in mind, 

 to the house I went. We had purchased 

 a typewriter at a cash cost of $102, and 

 my wife was the stenographer, so you see 



there was one man at least in this world 

 who could dictate to his wife. 



"Well, we surely have a great prospect 

 for a big crop of berries this year," I said 

 to my wife. 



"Yes, and if only we could hit upon 

 some plan to sell the berries for what they 

 actually will be worth, we would have 

 the nicest little business in the town," 

 were the words that came from the better 

 side of the house. 



"Don't worry, I have that all fixed; 

 just sit down at that machine and I will 

 dictate a letter to be serit to all of the 

 growers who handled -our berries last 

 year." I will never forget that day or 

 that letter. It read like this: 



Mr. Grocer, — Dear Sir: — My berries this year 

 are going to beat all records, and you can safely 

 promise your berry-hungry customers that it will 

 not be long until they can tickle their palates 

 with Beatty's Celebrated Strawberries. But be 

 sure and tell them that they will have to pay 15 

 cents per quart or two quarts for 25 cents this 

 year, because Beatty says so. As I am the pro- 

 ducer of these berries and know just w hat it costs 

 to grow them, I am the only one who can intel- 

 ligently name the selling price. I will pay you 

 15 per cent commission for selling my berries, 

 and also will pay the express. 



"Why, Frank! surely you are not going 

 to send a letter like that to your custom- 

 ers! 



"Yes'm, I am going to send it to every 

 dealer on my list." 



"I'll bet you lose every one of thexn," 

 was my wife's worried reply. 



"Well, if thev don't want my berri&nt 



PEDIGREE PLANTS IN THE FAMILY GARDEN OF J. W. SWAN, EVERETT. WA.'^H. 



Pa«e95 



