THE STRAWBERRY JUNE 1907 



permanent trees for the sake of the straw- 

 berry bed, of course. 



We are often asked, What about the 

 third crop? From our point of view there 

 should be no third crop. Certainly, no 

 one who grows strawberries commercially 

 should think of allowing his plants to fruit 

 for the third time, and we always advise 

 new settmg every second year. After the 

 second crop has been picked, we mow 

 over and burn the plants, the same as is 

 done in the case of preparing for second 

 crop. The burning at this time is for the 

 purpose of destroying all insect pests and 

 fungous diseases. After burning, plow the 

 plants under. Thoroughly prepare it and 

 sow the ground at the rate of about six 

 pecks to the acre of cow peas or field peas. 

 Let this crop mature and plow under peas, 

 vines and all, and sow the ground to rye 

 for a winter cover crop. We consider it 

 always best to grow some other crop the 

 succeeding year, rather than to reset the 

 same soil to strawberries. Another crop, 

 such as potatoes or corn, renovates the soil, 

 cleansing it from all impurities which may 

 remain from the preceding crop, and pre- 

 pares it once more to develop strong, vig- 

 orous plants. This is one of the most 

 important efFects of crop rotation. An- 

 other imporiant result is that insects and 

 fungi are thus discouraged. The renew- 

 ing of the soil resulting from such treat- 

 ment is especially felt by the strawberry 

 plant, and the benefits of rotation are no- 

 w here more marked than in strawberry 

 production. 



^ '^ 



The Young Man's Opportunity 



HO\V many youny men who, be- 

 cause they do not have the cash in 

 hand with which to start them- 

 selves in business, continue to seek em- 

 ployment at a daily wage which little 

 more than gives them the bare necessities 

 of life, and certainly never is sufficient to 

 enable them to start out upon an independ- 

 ent career! Such young men fail to re- 

 cognize the large opportunities that await 

 them in the culture of fruit for market. 

 Given a young man of clear mind, strong 

 muscles and a heart that is ready to meet 

 any fate, and he will find it a simple mat- 

 ter to secure possession of a piece of land 

 lying within easy distance of a ready mar- 

 ket for all the small fruit he can grow. 

 Such a man would have little difficulty in 

 thus securing what might be made into a 

 handsome property, paying for it out of 

 the results of his adventure in strawberry 

 growing. 



The other day we met a man who told 

 us of an incident in his own life, that in- 

 dicates what may be done in this direction. 

 A bright young man living in a Michigan 

 town who knows how to prepare soil, 

 plant and cultivate, garner and sell a crop 

 of garden truck, went to a gentleman in 

 the town who owned twenty-six acres of 



fertile land just outside of the limits of 

 the town. The young man had resolved 

 that he was going into an independent line 

 of work, where he no longer had to de- 

 pend upon the caprice of others or chang- 

 ing conditions for a livelihood. He went 

 to the owner of these twenty-six acres to 

 tell him that he desired to start a truck 

 garden on the land; that he had no money 

 to pay down, but that he would pay over 

 to the owner all surplus revenues as fast 

 as they were received The owner was 

 pleased with the man's frank way, and 

 readily consented. 



That was three years ago. Today that 

 young man has paid out of the earnings 

 of the land every dollar of the indebted- 

 ness upon it and has a property valued at 

 no less than .$4,000 representing the earn- 

 ings and savings of but three years. This 

 is a homely example, but what an inspir- 

 ing one after all. Opportunities like this 

 exist practically everywhere, only awaiting 

 the action of the man with the skill and 



HIS LIGHT RADIATES 

 AFAR 



L. A. BORCHERS, LIGHTKEEPER 

 OF TURN POINT STATION AT 

 PREVOST, WASH., WRITES US 

 AS FOLLOWS: "1 HAVE EVERY 

 COPY OF THE STRAWBERRY 

 FROM THE FIRST ISSUE. IT 

 HAS BEEN A GREAT HELP TO 

 ME AS A BEGINNER, AND 1 

 VALUE IT VERY HIGHLY. YdU 

 COULD NOT BUY MY LAST 

 YEAR'S VOLUME FOR ANY 

 TWO DOLLARS!" ' — -, ' — , 



the pluck to open for himself the door <.f 

 opportunity. 



As we look over the field of strawberry 

 culture, and see how year by year, the de- 

 mand for this delicious fruit is growing, 

 and how rapidly, we almost had said 

 greedily, the public seizes upon all first- 

 class fruit that is placed before it, we are 

 led again to urge our young friends to con- 

 sider the extraordinary opportunities this 

 field presents for enterprise. 



Don't be afraid to ask for time on land 

 that is lying usel:fs. Very few land 

 owners but would be glad to sell, when 

 they know that they take no risk whatever 

 and that the work one does upon the land 

 enhances its value, rather than decreases it. 



Don't be afraid to trust your own judg- 

 ment in these matters. The man who 

 goes to work with vigor and courage, has 

 a troop of friends at hand, who will lend 

 him encouragement and, if needs be, assist- 

 ance. There is a great field here for 

 bright minds and strong hearts, and the 



P>«e 138 



field will grow broader under the influence 

 of cultivation. 



Now is the time to make your arrange- 

 ments for such an enterprise. Now is the 

 time to get your land into condition for the 

 setting of the plants in the spring of 1908. 

 Do not dela.\', but lay hold upon this great 

 opportunity and get to work, thus laying 

 deep and broad the foundations for an in- 

 dependent business and a iiome. 



Growing Berries in Florida 



By E. B. Rood 



I HAVE found the growing of straw- 

 berries in Florida both pleasant and 

 profitable, but as I have been largely 

 the pioneer in this section, I have had 

 to blaze the way and often without a 

 compass or chain, and as a result, in the 

 earlier stages the course was zig-zag. 



I did not know the varieties to plant 

 and experimented with about fifteen be- 

 fore I found the one best suited to my 

 conditions, viz., the Excelsior, a plant that 

 will fruit and ripen early, even in cool 

 weather and produce a highly colored and 

 firm berry. I commence picking about 

 Thanksgiving and continue to pick till 

 May or even June. 



I began to grow berries with the idea 

 of shipping, and I am satisfied that I could 

 ship profitably, but I found that few berries 

 were grown in this county and our own 

 city of Bradentown and all the surround- 

 ing towns consume large quantities of ber- 

 ries at 25 or 30 cents per quart — your 

 money in your fist, no berries to spoil on 

 the way to market and no commission man 

 to fall out with. 



I believe there are many such places 

 in Florida where hundredsof dollars worth 

 of berries could be grown and sold prof- 

 itably. This is because the same skill 

 required to make a success of strawberries, 

 yields handsome returns in growing winter 

 vegetables, .'fSOO to $1,000 per acre not 

 being very uncommon. A thousand dol- 

 lars per acre is my mark for strawberries, 

 and while I have not yet reached it I be- 

 lieve it can be done. At any rate I intend 

 to stick to berries as one of my specialties, 

 for a reasonably sure and remunerative 

 crop. 



One of my first serious difficulties was 

 when to set out my plants. September 

 and October, especially the latter month, 

 were recommended, but I have found 

 after a dearly-bought experience that July 

 and August and up to September 15 possi- 

 bly, are much preferable and I must grow 

 my own plants I think, from plants im- 

 ported from further north the spring pre- 

 vious. However, I am not sure of this, 

 and am now doing some experimenting 

 along this line. 



Then I suffered from cut-worms. If 

 I had had the remedy The Strawberry 

 now gives, Paris green, shorts and honey, 

 (1 am a bee keeper) it would have been 



