STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 71 



industries, for it is within the memory of most of the middle-aged 

 men here, when the first berries were offered for sale in any of our 

 markets, while the principal development of the business has all 

 been within the past twenty years, and it is really only within the 

 past ten years that all small towns and villages of the country have 

 begun to have anything like a fair supply, while there are yet hun- 

 dreds of towns and villages that are not one-half supplied ; and 

 those that appear to be well furnished now would use many more if 

 better fruits were offered in a more attractive style. So there is a 

 chance yet for new beginners, if they are willing to live up to the 

 requirements and demands of the times. However, before attempt- 

 ing the business it is well to know that not all cultivators of berries 

 have found money in small fruits ; in fact, there have been some 

 very serious failures. 



The requisites for success are : First, a love of fruits for their 

 own sakes — a pleasure in their culture. Second, a soil fairly well 

 adapted to them. Third, good local markets, or convenient access 

 to railway' lines which centre in market towns. Fourth, extra labor- 

 ers near enough at hand to be called on in case of emergency in cul- 

 tivating and gathering the fruits promptly and economically when 

 ripe. Having made sure of these things, if one is starting in the 

 business, care should be taken not to plan for planting more than 

 can be cared for in the most thorough manner or sold to good 

 advantage. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



Of the various fruits, strawberries will receive first attention as it 

 is from them that the quickest returns may be expected. Any 

 good corn or wheat land will produce fine strawberries, but to 

 secure the best results, it must be ver^' rich in natural fertility or 

 made so by the application of manure in some form. Well decom- 

 posed stable manure has always been recommended as the best of 

 all for general garden purposes, and is not to be despised, and we 

 should make, save and accumulate in every honorable way, all we 

 can — use it in the vegetable garden or for the common field crops, 

 but it is not to be recommended for strawberries, if the highest 

 results are to be attained. My own experience has been that any 

 soil rich in organic matter, or commercial fertilizers rich in nitro- 

 genous matter, produce too much foliage growth for the most profit- 

 able returns in fruit, and my best crops have come from a sandy or 

 loamy soil, where commercial fertilizers had been used, containing 

 a large percentage of phosphoric acid and potash and lacking in 



