2^ ( Bush-Fruits 



i v , v ru 



pp ^eal.conditions. The census of 1910 shows a falling off 

 in: thV-aerefege 'devoted to all lines of small fruits in the 

 United States. Even the strawberry,. which is much more 

 largely grown than any of the others, lost ground by some 

 8,000 acres within the previous decade. Blackberries 

 and dewberries, which are classed together, nearly held 

 their own. Raspberries and loganberries, which are also 

 grouped under one head, dropped from 60,916 acres in 

 1899, to 48,668 acres in 1909, the greatest decrease being 

 in the East North-Central division. A marked exception 

 to the general decline is shown by these two fruits in 

 the Mountain and Pacific divisions. In the, latter the 

 acreage more than doubled within that period. This is 

 probably due in great part to the introduction and ex- 

 tensive planting of the loganberry. Currants and goose- 

 berries both lost heavily during this period. 



Large areas of some of the bush-fruits are grown at 

 times, but their more important place is in diversified fruit- 

 growing. Under exceptional conditions, with an assured 

 market at hand, the growing of large areas of a single 

 fruit may be wise, but under normal conditions it is likely 

 to be fraught with disappointment. The production and 

 consumption of strawberries is nearly or quite as great 

 now as ever, but the tendency is apparently away from 

 larger areas, the total product being grown by a much 

 larger number of men, most of whom supply the de- 

 mands of their own locality, rather than depend on the 

 wider wholesale markets of the country. This tendency 

 is doubtless wise, for the home market is often the best. 



Personal experience may serve as an illustration. Lo- 

 cated in a general farming community, remote from large 



