GROWING SMALL FRUIT FOR PROFIT. 83 



grapes very largely, that is fifteen to fifty acres, is compelled to mar- 

 ket his grapes in the large towns where he can be sure of selling all 

 that he may offer at any one time, the small grower should search 

 out the smaller towns and build up a line of customers in those towns 

 who will take his fruit at better prices. In this way he saves at 

 least one profit by getting nearer to the man who finally sells to the 

 consumer. This has been our experience. In this way, I believe a 

 fair amount of fruit can be sold at an average of from five to eight 

 cents in all our smaller towns. We would not encourage the growing of 

 late varieties for fall or early winter market, unless it was entered 

 into extensively and cold-storage houses of the proper construction, 

 carefully watched and handled, were built up in connection with the 

 growing of the varieties for the later markets. 



The growing of strawberries in a small way, say an acre or two 

 acres, can be made very profitable near any of the thrifty towns of 

 Nebraska, for the reason that fruit that comes into the market per- 

 fectly fresh and as soon as picked will always bring from tw T o to five 

 cents more a quart than fruit that comes in in the condition that much 

 of the fruit that is shipped in comes. This in itself helps to make 

 a wide difference in the profit. Then too, when fruit is grown in a 

 small way, picking can be cheaply obtained. Plenty of pickers can 

 be had at one and one-half cents per quart and sometimes at one cent 

 per quart. Then too, in a near market, you can almost always save 

 your crates, which is quite an item of expense. The strawberry crop 

 also is established and grown very quickly. We have found it ad- 

 vantageous, on the whole, to plant in the, spring, on ground that had 

 been very deeply plowed and thoroughly enriched with fine, old ma- 

 nure. In the course of the season, after each little rain, we usually 

 take J)ains to go along and help the runners to take root, growing 

 them in matted rows, by pressing them into the ground a little, and 

 taking pains to grow them in rather compact rows. In this way 

 the cultivator has a full sweep, and you can cultivate the, open mid- 

 dles, a very small amount of hoeing is necessary, and an acre of 

 strawberry plants can be established w T ith a very few dollars. 



So much for the first cost. At the approach of winter, about the 

 time the ground commences to freeze, usually in November, we cover 

 with about two inches of old hay, preferring old hay to straw be- 

 cause it is free from weeds. We find that the covering of our plants 



