206 Transactions of the American Institute. 



to pay. Perhaps hundreds of bushels have been thrown into the 

 docks in this city, within a few days, and shijipers lost picidng 

 and freight. It is true that wet weather was one cause. But, at 

 the same time, Mr. Knox, of Pittsburg, had strawberries (" 700") 

 selling in Broadway for fifty cents a quart. They are large, and 

 the finest in the market. Now, other cultivators were raising this 

 variety within a few miles of the city, but they got no such prices, 

 for they have no such fruit. Mr. Knox's method is no secret, for 

 he imparted it several years ago. His plan is to fill in between the 

 rows with rye straw, quite deep; it keeps the fruit perfectly clean, 

 and gives it a bright lively color. In wet weather the straw 

 absorbs moisture; in dry, it imparts it. If this method will pro- 

 duce the same results everywhere, no other course is left than for 

 us to adopt it, for by persisting in the present course, we are cut- 

 ting each other's throats. I am decidedly of the opinion that the 

 present system must explode. We are too ambitious and too 

 industrious to succeed, unless we take the last steps and attain as 

 much perfection as is possible. 



STRAWBERRIES IN SOUTH IIXINOIS. 



Mr. J. R. Tewksbury, South Pass, Union county. — ^Through the 

 kindness of the station agent here, E. T. Phillipps, I send the Far- 

 mers' Club the following account of strawberries shipped from this 

 station from May 15 to June 16, 1867 — a very backward season: 



Am't at an 

 Weight, Quarts. average of 20 



pounds. cts. per qt. 



Sent to Chicago 334,120 225,750 $45,150 



Sent to other points north 30,625 20,675 4,135 



Sent to St. Louis 13,635 9,225 1,845 



Sent to Cincinnati 3,560 2,400 480 



Sent to Cairo 4,260 2,875 575 



Totals 386,200 260,925 #52,185 



Picking, 15 per cent $7,827 75 



Boxing, 10 per cent 5,218 50 



Freight, 11 per cent 5,740 35 



Commission, 10 per cent 5,218 50 



Fruit grower, 54 per cent 28,179 90 



$52,185 



The above average at twenty cents per quart is, of course, only 

 an estimate — good fruit w^ould average as high as twenty-three or 

 twenty-five cents per quart — but the weight and the quarts are 



