182 FRUIT RANCHING. 



berry crop was a general failure all over, I only 

 realised a gross return of $2,300 (£460), or net result 

 of $1,200 (£240). [This gives an average of $767 

 (£135) gross or $400 (£80) net per acre.] In the 

 season of 1907 I had four aires in fruiting, which 

 brought a gross return of $4,300 (£860) or over $1,000 

 (^£200) per acre, the net results being about $2,300 

 (£460), giving an average net return of $560 (£112) 

 per acre." The season of 1908 afforded heavy yields, 

 but prices ranged low, and the weather at the time of 

 shipping was very unfavourable; consequently the 

 gross value of the returns was below the average. In 

 spite of that, Mr. Wigen sold his crop off a little 

 over four acres for approximately $4,200 (£840), or 

 about $1,000 (£200) per acre. 



Mr. Thomas Morley, who has had twelve years' 

 experience of fruit growing in the immediate vicinity 

 of the West Arm of Kootenav Lake, says: " I have 

 known several instances where from $350 to $500 

 (£70 to £100) an acre has been produced from a 

 strawberry crop the second year of planting." Mr. 

 F. G. Fauquier, of the Needles, Arrow Lake, in the 

 Kootenays, writes: " I have been very successful 

 with strawberries, one year clearing $523.50 (£105) 

 off a little less than one-third of an acre." This gives 

 an average of $1,570 (£314) per acre. A grower at 

 Burnabv, whose name I am not at liberty to disclose, 

 has sold $400 (£80) worth of strawberries off one- 

 quarter of an acre, or at the rate of $1,600 (£320) 

 per acre. Another grower in the same locality netted 

 $1,000 off 1^ acre of strawberries, or an average of 

 $800 (£160) per acre. Another striking illustration 

 of the value of the strawberry has come under my 



